


Waiting in the Clouds

by Stephaniesomelette



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Lovers, Family, Fluff, Gakuen babysitters - Freeform, M/M, Poor Baekhyun, Rich Chanyeol, Slice of Life, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2019-11-23 16:13:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 39,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18154118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stephaniesomelette/pseuds/Stephaniesomelette
Summary: After the sudden disappearance of his parents, Baekhyun is left alone and unloved, having no place to call home. It came as a bigger shock when his Mother appears at his doorstep 5 years later with an infant, ordering him to take care of the child and never came back.  Baekhyun, a poor and helpless boy, then meets Chanyeol, the rich chaebol.





	1. Foreword

After the sudden disappearance of his parents, Baekhyun is left alone and unloved, having no place to call home.

It came as a bigger shock when 5 years later his Mother appears at his doorstep with an infant, ordering him to take care of the child and never came back. Baekhyun never even had the chance to ask her why she left.

The president of the prestigious Seoul Academy offers to help the two boys, giving them a new house and free tuition, on the condition that Baekhyun helps out as his grandson’ s full time housekeeper while also attending normal classes during school hours. Baekhyun will also have to look for a part time job in order to save up for after he graduates.

A certain headmistress has observed Byun Baekhyun struggling for over a year. She had a private investigator check into his background and pitied the poor boy for all the difficult circumstances he had to face. The president of the prestigious Seoul Academy offers to help the two boys, giving them a new house and free tuition, on the condition that Baekhyun helps out as his grandson’s full time housekeeper while also attending normal classes during school hours. Baekhyun will also have to look for a part time job in order to save up for after he graduates.

Little did he know, the man he would be working for is Park Chanyeol. The coldest, yet richest boy in Seoul. He disliked the idea of having Baekhyun in his house, and believed he was there to put an end to his playboy and clubbing lifestyle. He was going to make Baekhyun suffer so much that he will quit.

Little did Chanyeol know,Baekhyun became the love of his life.


	2. Baekhyun

‘Minjun-ah! Don’t cry, I’m coming!’

Baekhyun was busy making Minjun’s baby formula, and he might be taking a little too long and being a little too clumsy due to how fatigued he felt from his part time job. Cries from baby Minjun shook their one room apartment, his tears rolling down his fat cheeks was representative of how hungry he was. Baekhyun rushed over and quickly gave him his bottle, giving a gentle kiss to his forehead.

The baby became quiet instantly, focused on his milk.

‘There, all better! All you had to do was be a little more patient Minjun-ah~’ Baekhyun comforted the boy as he drank his milk.

Minjun gave baekhyun a huge smile, resting his tiny head against baekhyun’s chest and his tiny fist at the hem of Baekhyun’s oversized shirt. Baekhyun often goes to the thrift store for his clothes, which explains why most of his clothes do not fit him. While Minjun was being fed, Baekhyun was already thinking about his schedule for the next day. Thursdays were the worst, they were the most tiring day of the week for him.

_4am: wake up and get Minjun ready, prepare breakfast and pack his necessities_

_5am: part time shift as a janitor_

_7am: morning job ends, bring Minjun to daycare, get ready for school_

_8am-4pm:school_

_5pm: fetch Minjun home from daycare and bring him to his second part time job at a family restaurant_

_10pm: get off from work and head home_

_11pm-1am:study_

Baekhyun was extremely grateful that both his jobs allowed him to bring his little brother. He sighed at how tough his life seemed, but when he looks at Minjun’s peaceful milk-drinking face, he knew it was worth it as he was Baekhyun’s only family.

But it wasn’t always like this.

_Back when Minjun was literally dumped into Baekhyun’s pile of responsibilities, he disliked the boy for adding another hindrance to his already shitty life. He opened the door, face to face with the woman that disappeared 5 years ago._

_‘Mom, what are you doing here? Why did you leave?’ Baekhyun was desperate, he needed answers._

_‘Baekhyun-ah, mom and dad have a favour to ask from you. Take care of Minjun, he’s your little Brother.’ Mrs Byun pulled a baby carrier closer, revealing a sleeping infant who is barely a year old._

_‘What about me? Are you just going to leave like this?’ Baekhyun teared up, it was hard enough to go through his teenage years alone, and his parents were going to repeat it again._

_‘I’m sorry Baekhyun, but we have our own lives, you know?’ Mrs Byun spoke casually, taking out her sunglasses._

_As she turned around, walking away, she said one more thing that broke Baekhyun’s heart._

_‘By the way, don’t call us anymore. We don’t consider ourselves as your mom and dad. I’m sure you will be capable of surviving in this world.’_

_Her heels clicked as she walked away, Minjun starts crying for food, Baekhyun cried like he did 5 years ago._

_He lived in a run down one room apartment, his bed was just a small mattress and he could barely feed himself. Baekhyun had even thought of sending Minjun to social services,so as to make his life easier. But a month after taking care of the crying and screaming Minjun, the infant finally gave him a grinning smile one day with his huge glossy eyes and round cheeks. Baekhyun knew had already fallen hard for the infant. He cried and cried for hours, apologising to the infant for his terrible thoughts._

 

**_‘I’m sorry Minjun, Baekhyun Hyung will protect you.’_ **


	3. The meeting

The chairwoman requested her driver to drive her to the same location again, where she often sees Baekhyun working. 

 

They arrive at Seoul market, a popular food market in South Korea. Her eyes travel to Baekhyun sitting in a corner outside a restaurant peeling vegetables, looking at Minjun imitating his actions on a baby stool.

 

The Chairwoman’s eyes softened at the scene. The two brothers were getting along well, and that warmed her heart. She sees Baekhyun, still with that perennial gentle expression on his face, smiling at Minjun’s every move. It reminds her of a time a year ago when she had bumped into the two, Baekhyun’s kindness moved her and she promised that she would meet the two again one day.

 

**_A year ago_ **

_ The chairwoman decided to take a day off for herself. She was having one of those days when she gets sick of doing administrative work and meetings. The chairwoman had been craving for tteok (Korean rice cake) for a Long time. She decides to visit the local market, taking public transport like a regular.  _

 

_ It’s been ages since she last took the bus, it seems that the new bus routes are getting more complicated. She tried to ask someone for assistance but everyone seemed to be intimidated by her fierce eyes and bold figure. At that moment, a teenage boy with a chubby baby in his arms came to her with the most gentle and soothing voice.  _

 

_ ‘Ma’am, where are you heading to? I will try my best to help!’ The boy’s face was glowing, resembling a rice cake. The chairwoman resisted the urge to poke his  face, like a typical grandma would do to their grandchildren.  _

 

_ However, upon making eye contact with Baekhyun, she could easily see the years of pain and suffering that the boy had gone through. This made the chairwoman doubt that everything she sees is not what it seems, and it is quite a painful sight, she realises later on. _

 

_ The chairwoman told baekhyun about her intended location.  _

 

_ ‘I’m heading there too for work! Let’s go together ma’am.’ Baekhyun guided the chairwoman, making  her feel extremely welcomed, (her heart has not fluttered like that for a long time) and they hopped onto the bus together. It wasn’t everyday that someone would speak casually to the Chairwoman, everyone she knew spoke to her formally and in fear. _

 

_ ‘Flu-ffy!’ Minjun called out as he pulled a chunk of the chairwoman’s hair. Baekhyun’s eyes widened, as he quickly removed his hands from the chairwoman’s hair.  _

 

_ ‘Who are you calling fluffy young man?!’ The chairwoman scowled, with a hint of playfulness in her voice. The baby giggled, and continued pulling at the her hair.  _

 

_ As they reached the market, Baekhyun brought the chairwoman to the best tteok stall in the market, and they finally parted ways. The Chairwoman looked at Baekhyun from afar, walking slowly so that Minjun could keep up to his pace. She grew fond of Baekhyun in that short amount of time, and has continued keeping an eye on them till today. _

 

**_Present_ **

‘Mrs Park, our investigator reports that the child has turned two recently, while Baekhyun will turn nineteen in May.’ Mrs Park’s assistant, Mr Kim speaks.

 

‘Minjun is so cute, isn’t he?’ The chairwoman says fondly (a rarity, given how stoic and aggressive the chairwoman can be), ‘You said they live alone, correct?’ She says

 

‘Yes, and their living conditions are rather poor. I have their unpaid bill information.’ Mr Kim reports.

 

**_‘Set me up for a meeting with these two next week, I have an offer for them.’_ **

 

————————————————————————————————————

  
  


‘Do you know how to change his diaper?’ The headmistress asked Baekhyun sternly. 

‘Yes ma’am’

 

‘You’ve been looking after this boy since infancy?’ 

 

‘Yes...our parents are out out of the picture.’ Baekhyun continued.

 

‘She-eep! Flu-ffy she-eep.’ Minjun pointed out excitedly, referring to the Chairwoman’s head full of grey curls.

 

‘Who are you calling sheep?! I’m human!!’ The chairwoman retorted, but Minjun looked away, feigning ignorance and giggling away. 

 

‘I’m sorry ma’am! Minjun has been learning new words lately.’ Baekhyun flushed, covering Minjun’s mouth, he hoped he was not making a bad impression.

 

——

 

Baekhyun honestly did not know how he ended up here. It all started when a man by the name of Mr Kim knocked on his door and introduced himself as the secretary to the Chairwoman of Seoul Academy just this morning, and after reviewing Baekhyun’s college entrance examination results, he was nominated by the board of directors for a scholarship. (a very interesting scholarship indeed) 

 

Mr Kim gave him 10 minutes to get ready, he immediately packed his belongings along with Minjun’s and they rushed out of the house. The only appropriate attire Baekhyun could find was his old school attire, while Minjun was dressed in his favourite anpanman pyjamas which hugged his chubby arms and legs.

 

Mr Kim chauffeured them to the Chairwoman’s office, and now they’re here. Baekhyun was trying not to pee his pants, while Minjun is busy pointing at different items in the office.

 

——

The headmistress whispered  something to her assistant. Slamming her hands onto her desk, she pointed at Baekhyun with a strict tone. 

 

‘ **Give-and-take** is the law of this world! Every man must work for his daily bread! In exchange for free tuition, you will work in the Park household until you graduate.’ 

 

While the chairwoman was fond of Baekhyun, she still has a reputation of a strict and firm chairwoman that she needs to uphold. She also wanted to make sure to get her point across to Baekhyun, for him to take this rare opportunity seriously. 

 

Little Minjun got a shock from the change in tone, and cuddled even closer to Baekhyun’s chest with his tiny fists wrapped around his neck. Baekhyun holds him closer and pats him on the back, assuring him that everything’s okay.

 

Weighing the pros and cons of the offer, Baekhyun realised that it is generally a pretty remarkable offer. He will get to major in fashion, something he has dreamed of since being a kid, and Minjun will be enrolled into a well-known preschool affiliated to Seoul Academy.

 

After considering for a few mins, Baekhyun looked up to the Chairwoman,

 

‘We will take up your offer. Thank you so much for this generous opportunity. I will not disappoint you!’ Baekhyun bowed to the Chairwoman and Mr Kim, and made Minjun bow like him by tilting his head 90 degrees. 

 

‘I’m glad you made the right decision, because we will be taking care of this too.’ 

 

Just as the chairwoman finished speaking, Mr Kim placed a thick pile of letters on the table. Baekhyun soon realised those letters belonged to him, they were all the utility fees and rental bills that he is still trying to pay for. He is constantly late on payment as the money he earned was still insufficient for the both of them. 

 

‘Ma’am! This is too much!! You have given me free tuition, a new home and an amazing learning environment for Minjun, I will forever be in your debt.’ Baekhyun bowed continuously, he couldn’t believe how generous the chairwoman was.

 

‘Don’t worry Baekhyun, just do well in school and work diligently for my grandson.’ The Chairwoman patted Baekhyun on his back. What Baekhyun didn’t know is that the chairwoman has given him an extremely difficult task. 

 

Nobody has ever been able to work diligently for Park Chanyeol. All of them gave up and quit in a time frame ranging from one week to three months. Nobody could bear him for longer than that. 

 

Chanyeol was like an undefeatable warrior, nobody could match up with his crazy antics. 

 

**_And Baekhyun is about to become his next victim._ **


	4. The Meeting

Meanwhile in another part of Seoul we have Park Chanyeol, Son to the CEO of Park Corporations and Co. His Grandmother is the head of South Korea’s most prestigious University, every student’s dream was to enter Seoul Academy. The Parks had an incredible influence on the country, they owned factories, shopping malls, farms and even had their own stock market. Their wealth was constantly in a multiplier effect, a never ending pool of new money. 

 

This led Park Chanyeol to be a spoilt, arrogant and cold-hearted man. Despite his irresistible charm, he could make women and men cry with his ill-intentioned words.

 

Therefore when his Grandmother informs him about a certain Byun moving in, he gives his typical over-sarcastic response. 

 

‘ **I can’t wait** to meet this Baekhyun that you talk about, Grandmother!’ 

 

**_And I will make you suffer_ **

 

—————————————

 

Baekhyun was busy packing their belongings for the big move. They lived in a dangerous neighbourhood where crimes were rampant and very far from central Seoul. He was glad that Minjun and himself were finally out of this place.

 

While Minjun’s eyes were glued to the tv, Baekhyun continued packing in delight. No more bills and no more stress!

 

For the first time in Baekhyun’s life, everything seemed right. Could his years of suffering finally be over?

 

————————————-

Baekhyun carried Minjun in one arm and their small luggage in another. They didn’t have much, with a majority of the belongings being Minjun’s baby necessities.

 

They stood in front of Park Chanyeol’s 10,000 square feet, three-storey penthouse, in awe of how huge and well designed the interior is. As Mr Kim gave them a house tour, they were led to a game room, private theatre, an infinity pool and a massive party room which was well fitted for over a hundred people. 

 

‘And this is your room,’ Mr Kim continued, fiddling with the keys.

 

As the doors opened, the brothers were amazed at how stunning the room is. It is definitely bigger than their one room apartment, and the cream-coloured queen-sized bed will easily fit the two siblings. Every edge of this room screamed rich, they used the best wallpaper, best bedding, the softest pillows. They even equipped the room with many items for Minjun, things that Baekhyun had always found too expensive to afford.

 

Minjun, upon seeing a corner filled with toys and books, immediately ran over excitedly, rummaging aggressively to play with every toy. 

 

‘Ti-ger! Bun-ny!’ Minjun squealed, listing all the animals that he could identify in the picture books.

 

‘Mr Kim, please let the Chairwoman know how grateful I am for inviting us here. I will work hard and fulfill my responsibilities!’

Mr Kim turned away, picked up his handkerchief and wiped his non-existent tear. Baekhyun stood there awkwardly, waiting for Mr Kim to finish his tear-wiping session.

 

‘Forgive me. The nobility of your statement has moved me to tears. I will make sure to let the Chairwoman acknowledge that.’

 

While Minjun was distracted with playing, Mr Kim and Baekhyun went to the living room to go through some of the fundamentals in the Park household.

 

‘I must go now, there are school affairs waiting for me. You will most likely see Mr Park tonight, make sure to go through all the basics I taught you.’ Mr Kim glanced at his watch, packing up his briefcase.

 

Just then, the main door unlocked, revealing a young man with his hair up, dressed in a fitting blouse and ripped jeans, with the latest Rolex watch on his wrist. 

 

‘Ah, looks like Mr Park is already here. Try and get to know each other.’ After Mr Kim made the brief introduction, he left for the academy.

 

Baekhyun was literally shaking. Seeing Chanyeol was like meeting his new boss, Baekhyun felt utterly useless in his presence. Was Chanyeol going to hate him? Ignore him? Bully him?

 

He couldn’t think straight. His nervousness was getting to him.

 

Chanyeol took a quick glance at Baekhyun. He looked small and fragile. This is going to be an easy challenge, Chanyeol thought.

 

‘I’m Park Chanyeol.’ Chanyeol blurted out. He was not intending to be friendly with Baekhyun at all.

 

‘I’m B-byun Baekhyun. Nice to meet you-u.’ Baekhyun stuttered. 

 

Ha, the weakling is already a stuttering mess. Chanyeol concurs that he can get this boy out of his house within a month. 

 

Chanyeol suddenly pulled him closer, with a fistful of his uniform in his iron grip. Baekhyun tried to loosen his hold, his precious uniform did not deserve this!

 

‘Listen here, I don’t care what your name is, but I know you were hired by my Grandmother. Don’t you dare tamper with my life or I’ll make you suffer more than I have already intended to. Your life will be a living hell so if your weak ass can’t take it you better quit now.’ 

 

Chanyeol tightened his grip on Baekhyun’s collar, then releasing it harshly and causing Baekhyun to fall to the floor. 

 

Baekhyun groaned in pain, but stood up quickly. His mind was still trying to process the fact that Chanyeol became a completely different person the moment Mr Kim left for the door. But he could not give up so easily, he had to try. 

 

‘I understand, M-Mr Park. My job here is to ke-eep the house in one piece, I will try my best.’ Baekhyun tried his best not to stutter, but anyone under Chanyeol’s domineering presence would fail miserably.

 

‘Hmph. We’ll see about that.’ Chanyeol sneered before kicking off his shoes in random directions and turning away to the opposite direction. 

 

This man had already proved his intention to kick the two siblings out of his home, no matter how good Baekhyun will be at his job, his fate will lie in Chanyeol’s hands.

 

Baekhyun ran over to gather Chanyeol’s shoes. He sulked, his heart was heavy.

 

**_Not so lucky after all, huh?_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos ❤️


	5. Tired

‘Baekhyun!!!! Byun Baekhyun!!!!’ Chanyeol hollered across the first floor. He was getting ready for a date today and the mess in his room was not doing any good for him. His clothes were piled up like a mountain, different pieces of clothing (probably worth an entire fortune) stacked on top of one another to form a dome-shaped masterpiece in his master bedroom. 

 

Baekhyun ran quickly to Chanyeol’s room the moment he heard his name. It has been two weeks since he started working here, he decides that his affiliation with Chanyeol is strictly formal. The last time he walked over to Chanyeol’s room it did not go so well. He was accused of being lazy and unmotivated. Anyone who knows Baekhyun would know that he is the opposite-he gives his all in everything he does. Baekhyun despises being wronged, so he vowed to work even harder to prove his worth. 

 

When he reached Chanyeol’s room, he took a breath and panted. Beads of sweat stuck onto his forehead.

 

‘Sir, May I know what’s the problem?’

 

‘Look around you Byun. This room is a huge mess, I have a date in twenty minutes and I can’t see my Balenciaga sneakers anywhere. Now can you use your eyes and see the damn problem?’ 

 

Baekhyun was dumbfounded, and embarrassed. To even pronounce Balenciaga was difficult for him, a brand so foreign to him given how he never shopped for branded goods. But he remembers seeing a certain pair of shoes with this wording on it.

 

‘Sir, if I remember correctly I have placed it on the first shelf in your shoe cabinet. The one with the grey base and white detailing, if I’m correct.’ Baekhyun, being a fashion student, has a sharp eye for detail. 

 

‘It’s not there.’ Chanyeol flatly replied. It’s one of his games again which always gives Baekhyun a terrible migraine, he doesn’t know what Chanyeol will do to him next. 

 

‘I-I’m sure i-it was there, s-sir.’ Baekhyun confirmed. He was sure he had placed them there, he may pee himself if they weren’t. Chanyeol was creative with his punishments, he was scared.

 

‘5 minutes. If you don’t come to the main entrance by 5 minutes with my pair of shoes, you know what happens.’ 

 

Chanyeol smirked, before leaving for the door. Baekhyun knew exactly what Chanyeol was talking about, he had constantly bragged about sending complaints to the chairwoman if baekhyun did not fulfil his tasks. It was an impressive Blackmail, Baekhyun wants to show the chairwoman how grateful he is for taking him in, not to disappoint her!

 

Baekhyun’s heart palpitated, he immediately got to work to search for the pair of shoes. Argh! Baekhyun sighed internally, stupid Park Chanyeol and his stupid antics! After going through multiple piles of clothing, he finally finds the pair of shoes wrapped in a leather jacket and made a dash for the door. 

 

Chanyeol stands at the main entrance looking at his watch. 

 

‘Byun Baekhyun, you took 4 minutes and 50 seconds.’

 

Baekhyun sighed in relief, he made it!

 

‘ **No meals for today.** ’

 

Wait, what?

 

Baekhyun paled. He was not expecting this at all. Chanyeol smirked at his pathetic and pitiful facial expression. 

 

‘I was actually being generous, 4 minutes and 50 seconds rounded up is 5 minutes. So you were technically late. Be grateful that I spared your brother, I’m not so terrible to starve him. You should stay in your room and think about your mistakes.’

 

Chanyeol walked out of the house and into his black Maserati, not even wearing the shoes Baekhyun brought out. It was another terrible day out of many terrible days for baekhyun, his small frame turned back into the house, his fingers red from rummaging through Chanyeol’s wardrobe intensively.

 

——

‘Hyun! Bubble!’ 

 

Minjun was currently having a bubble bath. His speech is getting better, he’s almost ready to call Baekhyun ‘Hyung’! The tub was filled with bubbles made from strawberry soap, baekhyun had his own fair share of fun by giving Minjun a bubble beard. 

 

‘Is it fun? Minjun ah?’ Baekhyun cooed. 

 

Minjun is one, or maybe the only, person who has kept him going. Minjun is there for his darkest times, always making sure to flash a grin to his lovely Hyung. It comforts him to know that someone still cares about him, even if that person is still barely able to speak.

 

Minjun thrashed and swam in the bubble water, they both had a good laugh. It was these little moments that Baekhyun treasures most. Minjun splashed in the tub for a while more before calling it a night.

 

Minjun enjoys sleeping on Baekhyun’s chest, it was like how a baby kangaroo would climb into its’ mother’s pouch. To Minjun, Baekhyun’s chest was like a warm and safe pillow, he liked nuzzling his face deep into Baekhyun’s shirt to become more comfortable. Therefore Baekhyun has made it a habit to rock Minjun to sleep every night while carrying him. It usually takes about 10 minutes, maybe more if Minjun is sick. 

 

Finally Minjun falls asleep, Baekhyun puts him gently in the middle of the queen sized bed, with pillows surrounding him and a plush toy in his grip. He grins as he sees Minjun’s peaceful sleeping face, his chest rising with every breath he takes.

 

He quickly walks to his wardrobe, opening his secret stash of snacks. His stomach growled heavily, he had not eaten anything since breakfast thanks to Chanyeol. He found a red bean jelly snack that he bought at the convenience store and immediately unwrapped it to gobble it down. The feeling of having food in his stomach comforted him only slightly, but it was better than nothing.

 

After showering he grabs his ragged copy of his favourite romance novel ‘Somebody To Love’ and took a seat on the bed next to sleeping Minjun. Baekhyun received the book back when his neighbour was planning on throwing it away. Ever since then, he has never stopped reading this book, he poured over it so many times to the point where the edges are wearing out, the pages folded.

 

The Novel is about the hopeless protagonist looking for love. However by the twist of fate, he ends up finding true love and had his happy ending. Baekhyun giggled and jumped at his favourite scenes, he was a sucker for cliches. 

 

Upon finishing the book (again), he stroked Minjun’s hair softly, it was smooth against his skin. Re-reading the book made him think about his life. It was one of those times when he would sink deep into his thoughts and overthink. His life seemed too imperfect, he would never be able to find his love like the protagonist did. Thinking about Chanyeol, he doubts that he would ever have a chance of a happy ending. That man talks like he could make Baekhyun’s life even worse.

 

He hears crashes coming from the main door, it was probably Chanyeol again. Baekhyun imagines the mess he has to clean up tomorrow, probably shattered glass, lipstick stains and spilled alcohol.

 

Baekhyun teared up, he continued stroking Minjun’s hair for comfort and held him even tighter. He went to sleep with tear stains on his face and a half empty stomach.

 

**_‘When will this end? Minjun-ah, I’m tired.’_ **


	6. Cinderella

It was a brand new day. Baekhyun and Minjun have to wake up extra early today because it was Minjun’s first day of preschool, and Baekhyun’s first day at University. The thought of going back to school and socialising worried him, he barely made a single friend in high school due to his workload.

 

_ Baekhyun never had the chance to make any friends because if he wasn’t studying he’ll be taking care of Minjun. If he wasn’t taking care of Minjun he would be at his part time job. His schedule was a never ending cycle of work, which is why his classmates never bothered with him.  _

 

_ ‘All that Baekhyun does is work, work and work. He’s no fun.’ _

 

_ Heck, even if he had the time, he wouldn’t be able to keep up with his classmates interests. They had the latest video games, watched all kinds of shows on Netflix and attended concerts all the time. Baekhyun could never afford such entertainment, it made him feel so out of place, like an old man in a room full of babies. _

 

Baekhyun snaps out of his thoughts, and wakes up Minjun who is sleeping on top of his chest. 

 

‘Minjun ah, it’s time to wake up. It’s preschool day!’ Baekhyun tries his best to be as gentle as possible, Minjun is fuzzy when he’s half-awake. 

 

Minjun whines, fists tightening on Baekhyun’s shirt (Since he can’t speak yet, it means five more minutes). Baekhyun smiles and carries him to the bathroom to wash up.

 

While Minjun eats his breakfast, face immersed deeply into his bowl of cornflakes, Baekhyun quickly prepares Chanyeol’s breakfast. Chanyeol is an extremely picky eater, with somewhat child-like tastebuds (He realises after chanyeol keeps leaving the greens untouched in his food). Baekhyun whips up some hash browns with strawberry toast with bacon strips before pasting a sticky note ‘Chanyeol’s breakfast’ on top. He could only hope that chanyeol won’t throw his food out like he previously did before.

 

Baekhyun and Minjun soon leave for the door. Minjun is in his adorable new uniform with his yellow bucket hat. Baekhyun tried his best to dress up as well but there was little he could do with the few clothes he had. He ended up choosing a slightly ragged sweater with a pair of jeans, and a pair of sneakers which was slightly rough around the edges.

 

As they arrive to the preschool, Baekhyun could easily tell that the preschool was for the riches. The playground had an impressive spread of rides, and the classrooms were extremely well equipped. Baekhyun believes that Minjun will have a great time here.

 

Minjun being a good boy that he is gave Baekhyun a thumbs up,

 

‘Hyun! Work har-d! Jun-ie good boy’ Minjun assures Baekhyun before walking into his new classroom.

 

Baekhyun patted Minjun’s head and kissed his cheek before waving at Minjun. For a child barely two, Baekhyun was impressed at how Minjun could be so obedient. He looks over to the other preschoolers, crying for their Mothers. However, as he was leaving, he noticed that some mothers sending off their children are eyeing him suspiciously. 

 

He hears them whisper 

 

‘Who is he?’

 

‘I heard there is a new kid coming today, could he possible be...?’ 

 

‘Where is the child’s Mother?’

 

Despite being slightly uncomfortable, Baekhyun tried to shrug it off and headed for Seoul academy.

 

—

 

Seoul academy is undoubtedly an institute for the riches too. Not only do students have to be smart, but they also need to have commendable backgrounds as well. People have tried to bribe their way in, using ridiculous ways to enter the academy. This is how overrated the academy is. Baekhyun never expected himself to enter this prestigious University in this life.

 

As Baekhyun walked into the school, he notices sports cars aligned in the college car park, cars that were always raved about on tv. What shocked him was the fact that there were students coming out from the cars, such opulence! (Baekhyun owns a second-hand bicycle, the wheels a little rusty, so yes - he’s shook rn)

 

Everyone was dressed impeccably. Some students were carrying lamb-skin leather bags, others wearing custom made pieces sewn thread by thread. This made baekhyun feel even smaller, as students eyed his clothing choices and wondered where he came from. 

 

Ironically, the one who wears the most ordinary clothes stands out the most. 

 

Suddenly, Baekhyun hears screams from the entrance of the academy. 

 

‘AHHH! It’s Park Chanyeol!’ Girls screamed and ran as they saw the male, who was wearing a rich navy blue button-up that perfectly showed off his well-built figure. He gave them a polite smile, waving them off as he walked into the school. As he made eye contact with Baekhyun, his eyes immediately turned into a glare.

 

Still, the girls swooned, Chanyeol was such a manly man! They thought.

 

Baekhyun scoffed at the sight. Were those girls blind? Chanyeol is far from what he seems! He’s an asshole in the house who does not clean up after himself! He pouted as he thought of facing Chanyeol at home later, it sent shivers to his pale white skin.

 

The bell rings, and announcements are made for the undergraduates to gather in the auditorium. They are then sorted based on their different faculties (Baekhyun: school of fashion, Chanyeol: school of Business administration). 

 

As Baekhyun entered his first lecture, eyes were on him and people were whispering again. 

 

‘Does he belong here? What is he wearing!’

 

‘I didn’t know ragged sweaters were in trend.’

 

‘He looks so small, like a girl!’

 

‘Hey, do you think he’ll be easy?’

 

It seems that rumours do fly real fast. Almost everyone in the lecture hall knows about Baekhyun and his ordinary attire. But it shocks him how some of these students are so-called the best students in the whole of Seoul, yet they are so immature and insensitive with their words.

 

Baekhyun shrinks into a corner seat, isolated from the rest of the students. He reminded himself that he was here to study, not only for his future, but for Minjun’s as well. He had to focus.

 

——

 

Lunchtime came and all the students dashed for the cafeteria, everyone wanted to try the food which was deemed ‘Best School Food’ by food critics. Baekhyun sighed as he was the last one to leave, he slowly put his stationery back into his backpack before leaving for the cafeteria.

 

The chairwoman was kind enough to give Baekhyun a coupon card so that he could buy his school meals and other school necessities. He was amazed at the large array of food available. Chinese, Korean, Western, Japanese. The cafeteria was literally a buffet! Cuisines from all over the world, they even had dessert - now Baekhyun understood why. 

 

Just as he was about to order his food, he hears someone shout.

 

‘Hey, maid! Get me my lunch!’ Chanyeol shouts, making eye contact with Baekhyun.

 

Baekhyun’s eyes widen, his cheeks flushed. This could not be happening, Park Chanyeol was calling him a maid out of all derogatory names. He was a man for god’s sakes! The cafeteria froze, wondering who popular kid Chanyeol was referring to.

 

‘Hey! The one in that ugly blue sweater, did you forget your job?’ Chanyeol teased, he arched his brows, arms folded to assert his dominance.

 

Everyone turned to look at Baekhyun. Realisation seemed to dawn on them. No wonder this dude with an ugly blue sweater got in, he’s Park Chanyeol’s maid!

 

Baekhyun, having been humiliated enough, scurried to the food table to collect Chanyeol’s lunch. The starts picking food he thinks chanyeol would like: kimchi fried rice with cheese, no carrots. With a side of hamburger patties and mashed potatoes. Not forgetting the very important packet of Apple juice which Chanyeol demands for every meal. He walks over to Chanyeol’s table uncomfortably, four pairs of eyes staring back at him, excluding Chanyeol who is sitting down, being a dick and waiting to be served.

 

After he placed Chanyeol’s food on the table, he stood there awkwardly, fiddling his hands. He looked at Chanyeol pitifully in the eyes, hoping it would somehow send a signal 

 

‘Stop, please.’

 

Chanyeol patted his back.

 

‘Good job, maid!’

 

The whole cafeteria laughed along with Chanyeol, totally ignoring the fact that they were all bullying a harmless and genuine boy. Everyone wanted to be on Park Chanyeol’s good side, hence they strip away their sense of morality and see Baekhyun as the new outcast. People don’t even try to understand who he is, and that frustrates him the most.

 

Game #2: Make Baekhyun an outcast in school, as unwelcome as possible.

 

Baekhyun tried to keep his tears in, the word ‘maid’ and the snickering echoed in his head. His attempt failed after all. He hurriedly took his food before trying to search for a table.

 

Everyone seemed to have already made their own friends, every table was occupied. Baekhyun tried to look for anyone who looked like they did not mind him, but the moment their eyes landed on Baekhyun, their bodily gestures meant:

 

‘Go away, we don’t want you here.’

 

Baekhyun ends up bringing his lunch to the toilet. It was a lot cleaner and more spacious as compared to the cubicles back in high school, so he considers himself lucky. 

 

As he eats his meal, finally in peace, he could only sigh at what’s to come. He’s locked up in a cubicle, eating his meal pathetically, whereas everyone was out in the campus having fun. He doubts he can enjoy himself in the school now since people can’t stop glaring at him. He could only hope that some miracle will happen.

 

Feels an awful lot like Cinderella, doesn’t it?


	7. Ambivalent

Days continue to pass by. Baekhyun still has a hard time adjusting - the people in school do not see him as equal, hence the derogatory remarks and condescending looks continue. They laugh when he shares his ideas in class, they stare at him when he tried to sit with them at the canteen (so the cubicle is still his safe haven). He has yet to find a good Friend, he hopes the time will come soon though.

 

But Baekhyun tells himself to stay strong. He needs to get past the difficult times, like he always did.

 

Baekhyun was just not expecting Chanyeol to make his life even more difficult.

———

‘Hyunggggg!’ Minjun ran towards Baekhyun at the school gates, a piece of drawing held in his hand. He gripped tightly onto Baekhyun’s shoulders, prompting Baekhyun to give him a piggyback. 

 

‘How was school today hmm? Did you make new friends?’ Baekhyun asked as they followed the path home. Minjun babbled away while playing with Baekhyun’s soft and fluffy hair, talking about new words he learnt, a nice group of friends in class, the pictures he drew - it seemed like another fulfilling day for him! Baekhyun smiled as he listened to Minjun, his baby talk was so cute!

 

When they reached home, Chanyeol was already seated in the dining room. That was unusual- Chanyeol tends to come home very very late, he hardly ever sees Minjun. Baekhyun tried to ignore Chanyeol’s presence, but unfortunately for him, Minjun shouts 

 

‘Monkey!!!’ He points his tiny finger at Chanyeol’s big ears.

 

Chanyeol turned around, his eyes seem to be delighted at the sight of Minjun. 

 

‘Hi little one, I haven’t seen you in quite a while! You wanna play with my ears?’ Chanyeol cooed at Minjun, Baekhyun guesses that he has a soft spot for kids. It’s ironic how he’s a literal beast when alone with Baekhyun. Maybe then Minjun would not call chanyeol a monkey.

 

As Minjun was giggling away, stretching out Chanyeol’s ears, Chanyeol turned to Baekhyun and shot daggers in his direction. Baekhyun gulped, it seems like he’s Chanyeol’s least favourite person on this planet. He has not even said a word!

 

‘I’m having drinks with some friends here tonight, prepare the alcohol and don’t even try to speak to them or embarrass me, got it?’ Chanyeol was sharp tongued, making Baekhyun flinch. He quickly nodded and brought Minjun back to their room, preparing him for his shower.

 

Apparently the Jock has invited some of his friends over to his house for drinks and games. It was late into the night, Baekhyun makes sure that Minjun is fast asleep and well tucked into bed before leaving the door slightly closed.

 

The doorbell bell rings, Baekhyun rushes to the door and recognises some of them as the popular girls and guys from school. The were dressed in brands he finds so foreign, their accessories encrusted with so many diamonds they almost blinded him.

 

He greets every one of them politely, some return the gesture, while some simply throw their coat at him. He scoffs a little, well...that was rude.

 

He follows them to the entertainment room, where an array of the most expensive alcohol has been arranged by him. Chanyeol is already inside, playing on the latest gaming control set with the most advanced gaming equipments. His friends walk in and join him, each person grabbing a console. 

 

‘Ya, bring me a glass of Veuve Clicquot.’ Ordered one of the girls, whose bosom was way way way too close to chanyeol. She glared in Baekhyun’s direction, demanding him to get it immediately. 

 

Baekhyun, noticing her stare rushed to the table to pour their drinks - he was a little slow since he was busy differentiating the alcohols. How do you even pronounce these?? He wonders.

 

‘I’ll have a Laurent-Perrier!’

 

‘Me too!’

 

The overload of orders causes him to mix up the drinks, it was obvious on the dissatisfaction on some of their faces. 

 

‘Ya! I asked for Laurent-Perrier not this! I can’t believe you can’t tell the difference! Chanyeol-ah just fire him! I’ll find you a better housekeeper~’ Baekhyun recognises the girl who just spat terrible words to be Lee Seo Hyun, she seemed like a gentle and kind person in school, everyone wanted to be a friend, they followed behind her as if she was a saint. Baekhyun just thought it was unfortunate to see her true colours here, that everything in school is just a facade after all. 

 

Seo Hyun throws the glass onto the floor, the mini champagne glass shatters and the expensive champagne seeps into the carpet. The rest seemed unbothered, but Baekhyun jumps and is shocked. These ungrateful bastards don’t even work a single second and seem to take everything for granted! This was truly an eye opener for him, the damage done was worth possibly a few hundred dollars.

 

‘Seo Hyun-ssi, I apologise for mixing up the order, I will bring another one to you right away. For your own safety may I advise that you avoid breaking the glass, I believe it would be dangerous if you or your friends got injured.’ Baekhyun responded, a hint of annoyance in his tone. He wanted to give her a piece of his mind, yet with Chanyeol around he couldn’t do anything. Argh, he’s so frustrated!

 

‘Chanyeollll your maid is talking back at me, I’m leaving!’ Seo Hyun pouted, ready to grab her bag to leave. 

 

Chanyeol quickly grabbed her arm, forcing her to sit down.

 

‘We’re not even done with the game yet, don’t go. Anyways, Baekhyun is new. He’s still a stupid servant in training.’ Seo Hyun blushed, hearing ‘don’t go’ made her heart skip. Chanyeol could easily make the hearts of many people flutter, without actually realising it.

 

‘Uh-I Guess I could s-stay for a-a while then.’ She sat back down, arms folded. 

 

‘Yah Byun what are you standing there for. Hurry up with the drinks.’ Chanyeol scolded. Baekhyun nodded and rushed to the bar, this time making sure he had the correct brand of champagne. He also had to pick up the glass shards as of Seo Hyun’s request, his clumsiness caused him to prick his fingers a few times, little blood clots formed at his fingers. He sighed as he continued cleaning up, the laughter and chatter from the group echoing in the background. 

 

This routine went on for hours. They started at 10pm and it was now three in the morning. Baekhyun’s routine for that night was to check on Minjun, serve drinks, then homework. And then repeat that for about five to six times. He was extremely fatigued and thanked the heavens that it was the weekend the next day - he would’ve fainted if he had to go to school tomorrow. 

 

Halfway through his homework he hears a call for his name. He drops his pencil and speed walks out of his room to where the group is - it seems they’re finally leaving. Yayyyyy, Baekhyun was so glad that they’re leaving and he can finally get some sleep. After so many rounds of drinks, many of them were drunk and as a whole - a MESS. They couldn’t walk straight, babbled non stop and even had the audacity to slap one another. Baekhyun sighed as he had to pull them apart and had to force them into their coats. Chanyeol being slightly tipsy himself ordered baekhyun to call a few cabs for them. 

 

‘I’ll send them off, wait here.’ Chanyeol says to Baekhyun as he pushes his friends towards the exit of the penthouse. They leave for the door and Baekhyun turns off the lights. 

 

Baekhyun waits near the door, hoping Chanyeol would come back quickly so that he could go sleep. 

 

*CRASH* (sorry idk how to describe this yet heheh)

 

Suddenly, a loud crash comes from the main door. Dramatically and in slow motion, the glass first cracks before every tiny piece starts falling against the marble tiles, each piece making its own distinct noise. Baekhyun flinches and lets out a scream - he couldn’t move his legs, he froze at where he stood. He finds it difficult to breathe, as it is bringing back the trauma he had experienced a few years ago.

 

_4 years ago (when Baekhyun was alone)_

_Baekhyun was doing his homework in the living room like every other day when a brick was suddenly thrown into his home through the glass door- the perpetrator was a large and bulky man, who proceeded to throw red paint at the entrance of his home. Baekhyun assumes that he is here to give him a warning to pay the rent for the one room apartment his very parents abandoned him in. He was a few months behind on rent as nobody wanted to hire a 15 year old who constantly had to leave for school._

_At that moment Baekhyun was completely petrified, he dropped his pencil and cried and screamed as the glass door broke. He was always sensitive to sounds so it terrified him even more. It may seem pathetic but he was literally crying and begging for his life- how would a young boy know what to do? The bulky man had a wicked glare, Baekhyun felt intimidated, life threatening even._

_‘Please don’t hurt me.’ Baekhyun chanted over and over again,his face turning red until the man turned around and left._

 

This wounding experience forced him to become stronger yet vulnerable to the cruelty of the world as well. 

 

So as Chanyeol’s door frame similarly shattered into tiny glass shards, Baekhyun gets terrible flashbacks to his past. It was scary, though this time rather than a brick it was a shoe. 

 

Chanyeol returns, noticing the shattered glass frame followed by Baekhyun’s frozen state. 

 

‘He’s mad drunk, thought his shoe was a Basketball. Call someone to fix it tomor-” Chanyeol stops mid sentence, seeing how emotionless Baekhyun looked, his hands shaking. 

 

Chanyeol despite being slightly drunk grabbed Baekhyun’s shaking wrists - something seems off.

 

‘What’s up with you? You’re acting weird.’ Chanyeol comments.

 

Baekhyun stops shivering, he calms down a little and finally lets the tears fall, his vulnerability taking over him. His bottled up anxiety and fear is finally released, he cries just like how anyone would when they were afraid. 

 

‘I was so scared, Chanyeol. So s-scared. You should’ve seen it, i-it was-’ His murmurs away with a face filled with tears, he couldn’t help it. 

 

Chanyeol looks at the boy in front of him, resembling a small and whimpering puppy who seems to have had so many curveballs thrown at him. Perhaps in his slightly drunken state he for once takes pity on the boy - he seemed so afraid, perhaps even scared for his own life. 

 

Chanyeol brings Baekhyun closer to his shoulder, letting the crying boy have something to lean on. As Baekhyun sobs and leans in,Chanyeol brings his hand to his back, petting it slightly, an attempt to calm the storm in his mind. Chanyeol lets Baekhyun’s torrent of tears soak his sweater.

 

‘It’s okay, puppy. It’s okay now.’ 

 

After that crying mess Chanyeol brings a sleeping Baekhyun back to his room, tear stained cheeks evident on the small boy’s face. Chanyeol loses his balance once in a while but he proudly makes it to Baekhyun’s room and laid him next to Minjun who was in a deep sleep. 

 

Baekhyun was scared, afraid, traumatised and yet for once he felt safe.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kinda meh for me, will probably edit next time heheh. Thank you for waiting for the next update 😊


	8. A friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some light stuff :D

When Chanyeol wakes up the next morning, a dull ache shoots up his head, causing him to groan. The alcohol from last night really took a toll on him, he can’t seem to remember anything.

 

He walks slowly to the dining area, and notices a bowl of soup with a lid on top of it. He grabs the sticky note next to the bowl, 

 

‘Drink this soup and remember to take the pills for your hangover, Minjun and I are out grocery shopping.- Baekhyun’

 

He tosses the note to the side and digs in, the soup had a clear broth and was cooked with fresh cabbage, tofu and meat. He slurped the soup heartily, the seasoning was perfect and the chunks of meat slid off the bone so easily and was extremely tender. The warm soup was savoury, with a hint of sweetness from the vegetables. Chanyeol closed his eyes and savoured every bite, it has been so long since he had eaten food so….comforting. It was a difficult emotion to come across, as all his life it seems like he was simply his father’s heir, people respected him, but never came across to genuinely care for him. 

 

Everything about this dish was undoubtedly made for Chanyeol. He hates breast meat, so Baekhyun picks out the drumsticks and wings. He hates spicy food, so Baekhyun makes a clear and non-spicy hangover soup, forgoing the red pepper paste. He hates greens, so Baekhyun uses soybean sprouts, the only vegetable he could tolerate. Chanyeol was surprised at how this meal suited him so perfectly, and so in a matter of minutes, he has cleared his bowl. 

 

Unknown to him, Baekhyun woke up early that very morning knowing fully well that Chanyeol was definitely going to have a hangover. He prepares the soup followed by a clean up of the mess from yesterday. Minjun, as usual, eats his breakfast half asleep. 

 

As Baekhyun places the bowl in the dining area before leaving, he hopes that this would be able to convey his gratitude for Chanyeol being nice to him this morning. Despite him being drunk, Baekhyun was still grateful for Chanyeol for not leaving him alone in the chaos that occured. 

 

A few hours later Baekhyun and Minjun return with a few bags of groceries, little conversation is made and only eye contact is evident. From Chanyeol’s gestures, Baekhyun could tell that he was back to his old self, a little cold and distant. Well at least thanks to Minjun everything fell to a comfortable silence

 

The weekend passes by quickly, they get the door fixed, Baekhyun finishes up his projects, Chanyeol as usual splurging his money on unnecessary things. It is considerably a peaceful way to end the week.

 

——————

 

‘Students, for the next project form up into groups of three. Since it is the first project this semester I will allow everyone to choose their own group members.’ The professor announced the very first graded project of the semester, small talk and cheers start to go around on what to do and who to group with.

 

Baekhyun sighs as he looks at the other students walking over to their friends excitedly, he guesses that he will have to wait until everyone is settled before looking for a group with an available spot.

 

‘Hey, you’re Baekhyun right?’ A voice disturbs Baekhyun’s train of thought. He turns around and said man was looking at him with the most genuine smile. 

 

‘Y-yes I am.’ Baekhyun responds. It’s his first normal interaction with another student! He hopes that he’s not here to mock him or something.

 

‘I really liked your ideas during lectures and I was thinking that it would be suitable for the theme of this project. Would you like to form a group?’ 

 

‘YES!’ Baekhyun stood up and shook his hand enthusiastically,thanking the man non stop. The heavens have blessed him with a group member and he was going to take this opportunity. 

 

‘I’m Jong Dae by the way, Kim Jong Dae.’ 

 

‘Ah! Thank you Jongdae!’ Baekhyun said cheerfully, continuing to shake his hand, earning a chuckle from Jongdae. 

 

_ He is so adorable. With that beaming smile, his small and warm hands enveloped in his own.  _ Jongdae knew about the rumours that flew around the academy about Baekhyun, some are overly exaggerated while some are extremely convincing. But when he sees Baekhyun sat at the corner of the lecture hall scribbling diligently into his notebook every lesson, he immediately tosses away his negative perceptions towards the poor boy. And now with their first interaction he is certain this boy has a pure heart. 

 

Jongdae finds an empty row and invites Baekhyun to sit with him. From there he introduces his Best Friend Kim Minseok who will also join their group. Minseok gives the cold shoulder as he is still wary towards Baekhyun, but nevertheless he hopes that they can get along well. 

 

Afterwards they even invite him to sit together for lunch, and as they walked to the cafeteria, sharing heart laughs, the new friends knew that it was a good start to their friendship.


	9. Think

Baekhyun munchies away happily at his lunch for the first time, he was finally eating in the cafeteria,not the bathroom stall! His eyes turn into crescents every time Jongdae shares a funny story about himself. 

 

‘So when they described the fabric as bright orange I was like yah! That’s fucking red!’ Jongdae exclaims once again, Minseok and Baekhyun wheeze at how animated his story is, clutching at their stomachs to take a breath from laughing so hard.

 

After his successful storytelling they go back to eating their lunch and making small talk, Baekhyun finds out that Jongdae is the heir of Chenel, the world known luxury handbag brand. He has walked past the shoppes at Gangnam once and noticed how the bags seemed to worth more than his very existence, as the workers carefully put on their gloves to display the bags under the spotlight at the window. Jongdae is planning to takeover the brand, which is why he is majoring in fashion at the best academy in the nation.

 

On the other hand, Minseok is the heir of Xiuvuitton, a likewise popular luxury brand recognised internationally. He spent his childhood following his parents to fashion weeks and hardly made any proper friends until he stumbled upon Jongdae at a Milan fashion event a few years ago. Their commonality sparked off their friendship which lasts till today.

 

After hearing both their stories Baekhyun grew more and more insecure because he has no story to share! He panicked and tried to think of something that could maybe make him sound cool? But no he had none of that. He guessed that they picked up on it and didn’t ask him much about his life and he was grateful for that, he didn’t want to add more fuel to the fact that the whole school acknowledges him as Park Chanyeol’s maid.

 

————

 

Chanyeol observes Baekhyun sitting across the cafeteria, he notices that it’s the boy’s first time eating at the cafeteria. And on top of that, he’s laughing with two other boys, eyes shining particularly at the funny yet dashing Kim Jongdae.

 

Something starts to burn within Chanyeol’s veins, the very scene before him somehow seems to irk him and frustrate him. Baekhyun was supposed to be his person, his housekeeper, the one who served him breakfast, the one who works only for him. However the girl bouncing on his lap shows otherwise, her hands annoyingly wrap around Chanyeol’s waist, trying to get closer and more intimate with said man. Chanyeol brushes her away and continued eyeing the trio…. he doesn’t know how he’s feeling. Is this jealousy? Or does he just loathe Baekhyun to the core?

 

A sudden image shoots up his head, of him petting Baekhyun’s head and bringing him close. He shakes off the thought quickly, he assumes it’s a figment of his imagination but it seemed so real. Deep down in his heart he knows that he desires to pet Byun’s fluffy head even more.

 

————————

 

Baekhyun hums as he and Minjun were in the kitchen preparing dinner for the day. Minjun’s eyes glowed as he saw the bag of potatoes being pulled out from the grocery bag, and enthusiastically nodded his head to help.

 

Baekhyun wrapped a head scarf over Minjun’s head as he vigorously washed the potatoes, getting water onto his clothing. 

 

‘Hyung! I’m washing potato!’ 

 

‘Good job junnie!’

 

Baekhyun smiled at how Minjun’s chubby hands were now soaked in water, it wasn’t really washing, but he gives a thumbs up for encouragement. 

 

They were preparing curry today, a comfort food dish that they all enjoy. Baekhyun skillfully slices different types of seafood into small chunks, and carrots and potatoes into the shape of stars. According to the kindergarten, he should be starting to train Minjun on eating vegetables (....and maybe Chanyeol too), he figures carrots and potatoes are good to start with. 

 

‘Minjun! That’s not chocolate, don’t eat that!’ Baekhyun quickly stops Minjun as he was about to put a block of curry into his mouth. The brown block replicated a piece of chocolate very much, Minjun’s face turns to disappointment at the realisation, so Baekhyun gives him a slice of apple instead. 

Finally Baekhyun adds in all the ingredients into the curry, stirring the pot until it becomes a rich and velvety Japanese-style curry sauce, filled to the brim with fresh seafood, carrots and potatoes. Minjun notices Baekhyun stirring the pot, and reaches out for the ladle.

 

‘Eh? You also want to try doing it, Minjun?’ Baekhyun asks. Minjun nods aggressively, prompting Baekhyun to lift him up. Baekhyun carries him and they stir the pot of curry together.

 

‘And one more stir, it’s done! Time to serve~’ Baekhyun puts down Minjun before scooping the sauce onto three plates, next to a fluffy bed of rice.

 

He walks to the dining room and puts on a bib for a Minjun before walking over to Chanyeol’s room. He gently knocks on his door, 

 

‘Chanyeol-sshi, dinner is ready.’ Baekhyun says and quickly walks back to the dining area. He still felt a little awkward around Chanyeol since their last incident.

 

Fortunately, they have a peaceful dinner filled with Minjun’s giggles, as usual the cooking was fabulous. Chanyeol does not make any snide or nasty remarks today, for he could literally eat this everyday. 

 

Then again he remembers that Baekhyun has been in his residence for almost three months now, and that thought makes him sour as he hates being proven wrong. His friends are also expecting him to make it happen sooner or later. He had to get him out of his house soon, for his reputation and image.

 

Think, Chanyeol, think. He thought hard and wrinkled his forehead. But he could not point out any flaw in Baekhyun. He groaned, it used to be much easier back then - he could complain about his housekeepers being too old, too ugly, and torment them till they’re at wits end. But baekhyun was different….. he was not old, or ugly (and the Chairwoman knew that very very well), and no matter how much he tormented him he was still so strong. He wanted to find a flaw in baekhyun, he needed to. But the boy is making is so difficult for him, sitting across him with the most beautiful smile, and add a cute baby smiling back at him. Add a halo onto his head - he’s literally flawless.

 

Chanyeol knows very well that he still messes up his room, throws his things everywhere, creates ridiculous punishments for baekhyun - but Baekhyun has never once complained about it in Chanyeol’s face, or to his grandmother.  That’s something very difficult to wrap around his head, for every house keeper he had ran to his relatives crying and begging to quit.

 

What should I do with you, Baekhyun?


	10. Misunderstanding

A month passes by and Baekhyun believes that his relationship with Chanyeol has definitely improved. Whenever they see each other in school they will give one another a quick wave and smile, and Chanyeol no rarely punishes him in the house anymore. He only hopes that everything will remain the way it is right now.

 

He says this as his group project with Jongdae and Minseok went very well too, receiving high praises from the professor. They have grown much closer and have even pestered Baekhyun to let them see Minjun. 

 

Jongdae has also helped Baekhyun land a part time job at Chenel, knowing that Baekhyun has been searching for a part time job. The Chairwoman has approved and agreed to have Mr Kim take care of Minjun while Baekhyun is at work. It was tough at first, as Minjun was a very clingy toddler, and Mr Kim is not exactly….child friendly.

 

‘Young Minjun, what would you like to do as we await your brother’s presence?’

 

‘No.’ Minjun says stubbornly as he is being cushioned on a large sofa in the Park mansion, making him look extremely small.

 

Mr Kim is being faced with one of the toughest challenges of his life; his mastershave always been straightforward with what they wanted, but this little guy did not express any sign of what he wanted! 

 

‘My apologies, Minjun, It should’ve been my responsibility to think of something for you to do.’ Everybody knows how serious Mr Kim is at his job, he sees it as part of his job to make his masters satisfied.

 

Mr Kim decides on a yellow rubber ball. He read in one of those childcare books that running is good for stimulating the muscles. He throws it in a random direction.

 

‘Minjun-ah, fetch!’ 

 

The boy did not move at all, and just sighed again. An awkward silence fills the air.

 

‘Hyung. Want Hyung.’ Minjun sighs and looks down. 

 

Mr Kim thought long and hard before grabbing a sharpie, scribbling a doodle on the ball. He drew two droopy eyes, a pouty smile and a mole near the lip. 

 

‘Now, Minjun. Look carefully!’ Mr Kim shows the ball to Minjun. Minjun’s eyes lit up, its his Hyung!

 

‘Hyung!’ Minjun pointed excitedly before trying to grab the ball. Mr Kim tosses the ball and Minjun is off, running and panting to catch his beloved Hyung. 

 

‘Hyung! Hyung!’

 

The Chairwoman walks by and sees the commotion; Minjun running after a ball, and a very pleased Mr Kim. 

 

‘Yah! Secretary Kim! Don’t treat him like a dog!’ The chairwoman whacks Mr Kim playfully, because after all, the situation is pretty darn adorable. 

 

When Baekhyun learns of the situation after work, he flushes immediately and picks up Minjun who was trying his best to crawl up his leg. He bids the two farewell and walks back home. 

 

‘Hey Minjun, you must like me a lot, eh?’ Minjun does not answer and just wraps his hands tighter around Baekhyun’s neck. 

——————————————————

 

Chanyeol’s latest fling comes crying to him at the cafeteria, about her recent failed individual assignment.

 

‘Chanyeol-ah! What am I gonna do? My daddy is definitely going to cut my credit card!’ She wailed and whined. Chanyeol looks at her disinterestedly, he knew she gave all the work to her group members, he knew that she often came to his house uninvited and skipped lectures. How on earth did she expect to pass?

 

‘I-It’s all that Baekhyun’s fault!’ Seo Hyun suddenly declared. Hearing Baekhyin’s name, Chanyeol’s ears perked up and he looks at her confused. 

 

‘What do you mean?’

 

‘Baekhyun! He took away Jongdae and Minseok from me! They are the most outstanding students in the class! H-he convinced them by making them feel sorry for him, t-that’s why he did so well! A-and when I asked to join, he told me to go away!’ She lied between fake tears, trying to get Chanyeol to pay attention to her. 

 

‘Baekhyun did that? I don’t believe it.’ Chanyeol scrunched up his nose, thoroughly confused at the situation. 

 

‘And look, I got my daddy to help me do some private investigation about him,’ Seo Hyun taps on her tablet, opening a confidential email with Baekhyun’s private information. 

 

‘Turns out he’s not that poor after all, he lied to your grandmother.’ 

 

Suddenly picture after picture appeared, Baekhyun standing with two adults, supposedly his parents. He recognizes them as the founders of Byun industries, and they have been trying to strike a deal with the Parks for a while now. 

 

‘Wait a minute...Baekhyun is the son of Byun?’ 

 

‘Yes! And what’s more interesting is that the toddler you keep talking about is in none of these family photos, don’t you think that they might have hired a baby to make the chairwoman pity them? You know how the chairwoman loves children.’ She added, no longer crying and wiping her fake tears. 

 

‘So he not only manipulated me, but my family as well?’ Chanyeol asks, a little uncertain. How could Baekhyun do this to him? To his grandmother?

 

‘What should I do?’ Chanyeol now fully convinced - the papers, the photos are all there. Is there even a way he can defend Baekhyun? To him, it really seems like Baekhyun is an undercover spy in his house, trying to get as much information as possible to strengthen the ties between Byun and Park. It angered him, he hates being used, especially when his family business is also involved. 

 

‘I’ll crush him, I’ll end him.’ Chanyeol says out of anger. 

 

‘Yes! At your party next week! Expose him! Torture him! Unleash his true intentions!’ Seo Hyun encouraged, truly satisfied with the results of her investigation. Unknown to Chanyeol, she had her own underlying secret tactics. Back when everyone was supposedly ‘hammered drunk’ at Chanyeol’s night gathering, she happened to catch a glimpse of Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s interaction after hearing the loud crash of the main glass door. The way Chanyeol embraced Baekhyun and allowed him to lean closer piqued her anger. Chanyeol never does that to her, even when she needed a source of comfort. Her hatred and jealousy grew towards the boy, and ever since then she has hired an investigator to unleash Baekhyun’s ‘evil’ intentions. 

 

‘Shut the fuck up,’ chanyeol says as he grabs his backpack, walking away.

 

‘It’s none of your business. I’m doing this my own way.’

  
  


————————————————————————————-

A huge misunderstanding! What will happen to baekhyun :0


	11. Trio’s down to two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware of angst!!

Baekhyun notices the change in atmosphere - it was truly obvious. He was just happily coming home one day with Minjun in one hand and a bag of groceries in the other, oblivious to the anger and betrayal that Chanyeol was feeling at the moment.

 

He greets Chanyeol in the entertainment room, just to be given the cold shoulder. Chanyeol also demanded to have his dinner in his room from that day onwards, leaving both Baekhyun and Minjun puzzled.

 

‘Hyung, why is yeollie’s smile upside down?’ Minjun asks, he really enjoyed Chanyeollie hyung’s company.

 

‘I’m not sure either junnie, but everyone has their angry days right? Do you remember when your favourite ice cream shop closed down?’ 

 

Minjun stood up from his stool and nodded furiously. Baekhyun remembers when they walked up to the shop to see an eviction notice, Minjun was so frustrated that he plopped onto the floor and cried, his hands and feet stomping aggressively.

 

‘When yeollie no angry, we will bring him ice cream!’ 

 

‘That’s a good idea, now let’s get you in the shower!’

 

_________________________________________________________

 

Baekhyun figures that Chanyeol’s anger might be directed towards the ongoing exams, and hence needed a snack.

 

He knocks on the door softly before entering, 

 

‘Chanyeol-ah, take a quick break, you’ve been studying for the past five hours.’ Chanyeol nods and grabs the snacks, eyeing Baekhyun cautiously.

 

‘Hey Baekhyun, let me ask you a question.’

 

‘Hm?’ Baekhyun turns his head back to sit down and face Chanyeol.

 

‘What happened to your parents?’ He asks bluntly.

 

Baekhyun freezes, flustered as to what to say. He was so embarrassed by his family background; he was not ready to tell Chanyeol that his parents abandoned their good-for-nothing Son and a very young baby brother. Chanyeol will definitely laugh at him.

 

‘I-I’ll rather not say, it’s a private issue.’ 

 

Chanyeol frowns, the hesitation, the way that Baekhyun’s eyes widen - it was just perpetuating that whatever Seo Hyun had shared with him is true,pushing the misunderstanding and he truly wished it didn’t turn out this way. Baekhyun seemed so bright and innocent, how could his intentions be so vile and horrible? 

 

‘Ok, then I have nothing else to ask, you can leave.’ Chanyeol tosses the wrapper and goes back to his laptop. Baekhyun scurries across the room to pick up the litter, before exiting the room. He sighs, what’s wrong with Chanyeol?

 

_______________________________________________________

*fast forward a few days later*

 

Chanyeol and Sehun walk out of the lecture hall, finally feeling relieved at the end of the exams. 

 

‘Hey bro! Our exams are finally over, Wanna have some fun?’ Sehun asks as he playfully puts his arm around Chanyeol’s shoulder.

 

‘Party at my place, we’ll invite everyone. You in?’ Chanyeol smirks,

 

‘I’ll add in a special surprise towards the end too.’ 

 

Sehun grins back, immediately sending out a message to the group. 

 

[Sehun]: Exams are over, party at Park’s penthouse! I’m bringing over the finest champagnes, Park said there will be a surprise too. Don’t miss it! 

 

After he sends out the message, his phone blows up with notifications, the message being forwarded from one person to another. Chanyeol and Sehun walk away, satisfied grins on there faces.

 

Meanwhile on the other side of campus, Jongdae rushes over to Baekhyun, his phone in one hand, 

 

‘Hey Baekhyun! I didn’t know that there will be a party at Chanyeol’s place tonight! Will I see you there?’

 

Baekhyun tilted his head, slightly confused. Why was he not told about a party? And moreover at Chanyeol’s place? Where he also stays? 

 

‘P-Party? I don’t think I’ve heard about it, I guess I’m not invited then,’ Baekhyun says shyly.

 

‘What do you mean? With Minseok and I there, we’ll definitely keep you company! We’ll stick with you throughout the whole night!’ Jongdae pats Baekhyun on the back, Minseok nods in agreement.

 

‘Thanks guys!’ Baekhyun overwhelmed with the kindness of his friends, gathers them into a group hug, squishing his cheeks against theirs. Jongdae and Minseok can’t help but think again about how adorable Baekhyun is. 

 

———————————————————————————————-

‘Baekhyun, I want you to make 20 different types of finger foods, 5 types of drinks, and a few dessert platters as well. I need them all out at the living room near the pool by 6pm. If you don’t finish within the given time, you know what you’re going to get.’ Chanyeol tosses Baekhyun his credit card, before walking away. 

 

Baekhyun nods and as soon as Chanyeol walked away, he gripped his head, feeling a headache coming through. It was currently 3pm, so he only had three hours to get everything done. After putting Minjun in bed for nap time, he grabs his bag and quickly makes a run for the next bus to the grocery store. He takes a trolley and fills it with all the ingredients he needed. 

 

Baekhyun suddenly felt light headed,almost losing his footing and paused to take a break, he felt a slight burning sensation on his forehead, perhaps he is coming down with the flu after being in the rain a few days ago. He glances at his watch again and quickly brushes his discomfort off, continuing the shopping list.

 

He goes back to the penthouse quickly, putting on his apron and spending the next hour and a half cooking up a storm. The humidity in the kitchen discomforts him, but he endures it and does his job diligently. 

 

Nearing 6pm, Chanyeol comes out to see Baekhyun making a run to the living room, trying to place every dish in the correct order - from starters, to finger foods, followed by desserts. Chanyeol was honestly not expecting Baekhyun to finish the job, and furthermore exceeding his expectations as he sees Baekhyun putting little cards next to every dish - describing the dish and the possible ingredients that could cause an allergy. Baekhyun credits this to his previous part time job at a buffet restaurant, it’s important to him for people to know what goes into the food.

 

At last Baekhyun is done with his work, but he was a mess - his hair was disheveled, apron dusted in flour, fingers experiencing a few oil burns. Chanyeol was honestly confused as to why Baekhyun works so hard. 

 

‘You may go now, but come back down here at 7pm, you will be serving drinks.’ Chanyeol orders before walking away again,trying to look unimpressed by Baekhyun’s efforts despite his feelings of surprise and astonishment on the inside. 

 

—————————————————————————————-

 

As the hours go by, more and more people start to enter the penthouse. The house was becoming like a wild club, people were dancing in the living room, music was being blasted from the entertainment room, everybody had some sort of alcohol in their hands. 

 

Baekhyun was busy being the server, making rounds around the ten thousand square feet apartment to provide snacks and drinks for the party goers. He was grateful that Jongdae and Minseok came to the party, offering to babysit Minjun instead as Baekhyun couldn’t hang out with them. They heard many great stories about the toddler hence they were looking forward to meeting him. 

 

Baekhyun felt his head throb as the music hurt his ears, he was also feeling nauseous given he was overwhelmed by the scent of the alcohol. He was too preoccupied in his own thoughts not knowing that someone was trying to approach him.

 

‘Hey there cutie, what are you doing here by yourself?’ Baekhyun looks up to see Woobin, who he recognises as one of Chanyeol’s good friends. 

 

‘Why aren’t you saying anything? I’ll take that as a yes as to what I’ll be doing next,’ Woobin slurred, and smirked as he leaned closer to Baekhyun. 

 

‘S-stop! Get away from me!’ Baekhyun shouted, he felt so sick that he pushed Woobin too forcefully, causing him to fall to the ground. 

 

Baekhyun was about to walk away when his hand was suddenly gripped by Woobin, who had a deathly glare on his face. 

 

‘Wait till Chanyeol hears this,’ he smirks, pulling Baekhyun along with him. Baekhyun tried to pull free from his hold, but Woobin’s grip was too strong, he couldn’t pry away. 


	12. Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops more angst, it’ll get better though.  
> Also it’s kinda repetitive because I wanted to get my visualisation across, so sorry if you keep seeing the same phrases hahah

‘Yah Chanyeol! This Baekhyun slave of yours is so damn useless! He ruined my night!’ Woobin dragged Baekhyun to the ground, his shouts caught the attention of everyone in the living room. Everyone was waiting for the next move.

 

Chanyeol goes up to Baekhyun, anger taking over his body. He grabbed his face roughly, causing Baekhyun to gasp.

 

‘You just can’t do your job properly, huh?’, ignoring the glint of fear in Baekhyun’s eyes.

 

Chanyeol circles around Baekhyun, Seo Hyun stares beside Chanyeol with a strong distaste in her eyes. 

 

‘Everyone, look at Baekhyun, he might seem innocent like that, but do you know what his true intentions are? Well he’s the surprise: He manipulated my Grandmother, cheating his way into our family. And for what? It’s all for business. His Brother - isn’t real! He now has a place in Seoul’s top University, is being cherished by the chairwoman, it’s all because of his manipulative games! Where’s does this put all of us? And who’s the real victim here?’ Chanyeol says this with much hatred in his voice, everyone is slowly agreeing with him, it seemed dumb not to - Park Chanyeol was to be taken seriously.

 

‘That’s not true. Everything I do is for my brother, you have falsely accused me.’ Baekhyun retorts, surprisingly calm. He will not let them play with his emotions, he will not let the dirty stares affect him. 

 

‘Shut up, you gold digger!’ Seo Hyun screeches, throwing her drink at Baekhyun. The others, noticing Seo Hyun’s actions, soon start to follow, a hate culture forming towards him - Baekhyun is soaked to the core with a myriad of drinks; punch, alcohol, sweet tea - they all come flying at once. Baekhyun flinched from the coldness, curling himself into a ball, telling himself it would soon be over and he can go back to his room.

 

But what he failed to expect was to be faced with kicks and blows to his body. Chanyeol too was shocked at his friend’s violent behaviour. They advanced towards Baekhyun with their fists raised. 

 

‘This ones for being a gold digger!’

 

‘This ones for being a manipulative freak!’ 

 

‘Is this how you were raised? Maybe this punch will knock some sense into you!’ 

 

Baekhyun felt the force of being pushed to the ground, he felt a few blows here and there, hearing constant slurs and swears. Baekhyun’s body ached and was begging for a break. He bit his lip until he felt blood, trying to hold in his screams. He felt so cold and so much pain, but nobody wanted to help him, it was too good of a show for them. 

 

Chanyeol stood frozen at how terrible the outcome has become, he never planned to physically injure Baekhyun, but there his friends were, taking out their frustration on the poor boy. All he wanted was for Baekhyun to leave and surrender himself, how did it turn into....this?

 

‘G-guys I think that’s enough.’ He tried, but they were all way too immersed to listen to him. He tries for a while until he sees Baekhyun’s tearful eyes begging for his assailants to stop - that was the last straw for him.

 

He eyes the fire alarm, aiming his shoe at the alarm to trigger it. The fire alarm goes off, wailing loud and clear. His friends finally stop, noticing the bell go off. Baekhyun falls limp and sinks further into the ground.

 

‘Everybody, evacuate, there seems to be a fire in this house. Party’s over.’ People are quick to leave, being worried more for themselves than the well being of others. 

 

‘Best party ever!’

 

‘Thanks Chanyeol-ah’ 

 

Those were the comments that Chanyeol overheard as the others started to leave, everybody seemed to be pleased with how the party went, he can’t help but think that he’s the only one who felt how terrible it turned out to be. Baekhyun might’ve seemed immoral in his eyes, but his Grandmother always taught him that violence was not to be tolerated.

 

When the floor is clear Chanyeol goes up to Baekhyun, seeing that the boy is still crawled up into a ball. When he tried to touch him, he was faced with a sudden stinging on his cheek. 

 

Chanyeol gripped his sore cheek, he was about to glare at the boy but he sees the disappointment and defeat in Baekhyun’s eyes. The boy groaned in pain, trying to stand up, the bruises and gashes now being obvious. Chanyeol gasped at Baekhyun’s state - a pale face, a tattered body, bruises and cuts, what mess did he just create?

 

Baekhyun scoffed at Chanyeol’s shocked state, 

 

‘Are you happy now?’ 

 

‘I-I’m-‘

 

‘I’m sure you are. Well guess what, congratulations. I thought you were starting to seem different from the rest, I can’t believe that out of all people it has to be Park Chanyeol who would try to slander me. I’ll just leave. You win, I lose,’ Baekhyun says defeatedly, limping as he tries to walk away.

 

Baekhyun’s tears start falling, he feels so much frustration and so much pain. Not just physically and mentally as well, he is just so exhausted. He doesn’t know how much more of this he can take. He wants to stop feeling anything. Why can’t Minjun and him just lead a peaceful life? Did they really have to go through so many obstacles just to be happy? Why is life so unfair?

 

Footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs, revealing Jongdae and Minseok who have yet to leave. Minseok was holding Minjun in a sleeping position, headphones being put around the toddler’s ears to block off the noise.

 

‘We just heard the fire alarm-Baek-ohmhgod, what happened?’ Jongdae asks as he sees Baekhyun’s wounds, his Best Friend was in tears - it hurt him so much to see him like that. Minseok likewise was shocked, ready to provide any sort of comfort for him.

 

Jongdae supported Baekhyun’s weight with Baekhyun’s arm over his head. He glared at Chanyeol, who seems to be the culprit of it all.

 

‘How could you do this to him! You don’t even know anything!’ 

 

‘I have the evidence, b-but I never knew it would turn out like this!’

 

Baekhyun’s head hurts from the noise, he releases his grip on Jongdae and tries to reach for the stairs, but before he could even reach, exhaustion takes over him and he sees black dots before his world turns into a pit of darkness. Chanyeol’s reflexes make it fast enough for him to catch Baekhyun before he collapses onto the ground. 

 

‘Call the ambulance!’ 

 

‘Baekhyun! Wake up!’

 

‘Baekhyun!’

 

Chanyeol has never felt so terrified in his life when Baekhyun fainted into his hold, all he could think about is how this is all his fault. He looks at Baekhyun becoming alarmingly pale, his forehead was burning terribly, gashes and wounds that littered his skin. 

 

_Baekhyun, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry._

 


	13. Reveal

Baekhyun is rushed to the hospital after Chanyeol realizes that he was not regaining consciousness after a minute. Along with Minseok and Jongdae, they arrive at the hospital to wait for the doctors to finish treating Baekhyun.

 

The atmosphere was tense, filled with misunderstandings and an obvious hatred directed towards Chanyeol. Whenever Chanyeol glanced towards their direction, they would be shooting daggers at him. It made Chanyeol feel more terrible about himself. Jongdae and Minseok calm their nerves by ruffling Minjun’s hair, the toddler is still asleep, unaware of his brother’s condition.

 

A while later, Chanyeol could sense the familiar clicks of the sharp heel walking towards them. He looks up and sees his Grandmother, the Chairwoman herself, and it could possibly be the scariest he has seen her. 

 

‘G-grandmother! What are you doing here?’ 

 

‘I’m Baekhyun’s legal guardian, the hospital called me. What are you doing here, Chanyeol? From what I have heard, have you not done enough?’ The Chairwoman gives a disappointing glance before choosing to sit next to Jongdae, causing him to stiffen. 

 

‘But Grandma! Didn’t you see the evidence that Seo Hyun showed me? He’s a liar and a-’ Chanyeol was in the middle of his rebuttal when the doctor appeared.

 

‘We’ll discuss this later, meet me in my office.’ The Chairwoman cuts him off and walks away. 

 

‘How is Baekhyun’s condition?’ 

 

The doctor adjusts his glasses before reading out the chaotic scribbles from his clipboard.

‘The patient has a high fever as a result of over working and fatigue, we have given him an IV drip and medication. We have also treated the wounds around his body. He has a fractured elbow on his right, we recommend that he uses a cast for around 6 weeks. Other than that he seems fine and can be discharged tomorrow.’ 

 

Jongdae and Minseok are relieved that Baekhyun’s condition is not life threatening, they plop themselves on the hospital chairs and finally decide to take a rest, after all - its three in the morning, they are beyond exhausted, but it can’t be compared to what Baekhyun must have gone through. They are overwhelmed with guilt - what if they stayed with Baekhyun throughout the party? Would things turn out differently? It felt like it was partially their fault.

 

The Chairwoman having just finished speaking with the doctor, noticed the two slumped onto the chairs, and Minjun who was adjusting in his sleep for maximum comfort. The moment they noticed the chairwoman’s gaze, they shot up from their seats to greet her. 

 

‘You two have helped out enough, have a good rest at home. Baekhyun is still asleep so it is better that you visit tomorrow when he’s awake. We’ll take care of Minjun from here.’ The chairwoman signals for Mr Kim to grab the sleeping boy, and sent Jongdae and Minseok to the exit. 

 

The chairwoman turns back around to see her grandson peeping into Baekhyun’s ward. Despite all that he has said, he really can’t control what he truly feels - it was obvious that somewhere in his cold and barren heart that there is genuine concern for Baekhyun. 

 

‘Chanyeol, let’s go. Baekhyun will wake up tomorrow.’ The chairwoman pats Chanyeol on the back, noticing that he took one more glance before turning around to leave together. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

‘Chanyeol, do you know what these are?’ The chairwoman asks him. On the table were stacks of papers that she told Mr Kim to retrieve - they were currently in the chairwoman’s office in her home, she was going to tell Chanyeol about everything from the beginning to clear his existing misunderstandings and confusion. 

 

Chanyeol picks up the papers, scanning them one by one - birth certificates, moneylender reminders, part time job information. 

 

‘How relevant is this? I don’t get it.’ 

 

The chairwoman sighs and starts explaining, from the disowning of Baekhyun, to the increasing bills, and the reality that was Baekhyun and Minjun against the rest of the world. The chairwoman snarled as she further explained how the Byuns abandoned their children for wealth and status, establishing Byun corp; this was why the chairwoman has constantly refused a partnership no matter how well they were doing - anything that was under the Park’s name will not be allowed to collaborate with Byun.

 

There were also a compilation of CCTVs (with Baekhyun’s consent) of everything that happened, and as Chanyeol continued watching, the more ashamed he felt. Baekhyun is just one of the many innocent individuals born into this world, and yet the hardships he has faced is just plain cruel and immoral. 

 

‘Why didn’t he report this to the police? This is child abuse!’ Chanyeol exclaims, his hatred for Baekhyun’s parents is now beyond the moon.

 

The Chairwoman chuckles, thinking back at the time when she saw Baekhyun and Minjun at the local market - Baekhyun was peeling vegetables, while Minjun imitated him. Life was tough, and they were trying to make ends meet, but most importantly, they were  _ happy _ .

 

‘His parents can easily bail themselves out of jail, given the amount of money they have now. But do you know what will happen to the two?’ 

 

Chanyeol shakes his head, like an innocent child. 

 

‘Baekhyun and Minjun will be put into the foster care system and they will be adopted by different families. Minjun has a higher chance of adoption and will most likely forget Baekhyun, but you must not forget that he is the only family that Baekhyun has left. Baekhyun might seem strong minded at times but he is soft at heart; he can’t bear the anxiety and pain of separation. Now do you understand why I took them in?’ 

 

Understanding dawns on Chanyeol, and for once he doesn’t know if he can be forgiven. He made Baekhyun’s life so difficult- both at home and in school. Adding on the humiliation and accusations, for once he hopes that he can take it all back and treat Baekhyun better; the way he should have been treated all along. 

 

_ He made a mistake before, he won’t make another. _

  
  



	14. Trouble

_ ‘Baekhyun-ah, thanks for being such an independent boy all these years,’ He was faced with his parents, the people who abandoned him in his pre teen years. _

 

_ ‘M-mom, what are you doing here?’ He asks, carrying Minjun in his arms.  _

 

_ ‘We’re here to take Minjun!’ His mother says excitedly, hands reaching out to carry Minjun. Baekhyun doesn’t want to let go, but he can’t control his hands, he was powerless.  His mother and father cuddle Minjun into their arms, looking like a happy family. However Baekhyun notices Minjun’s gaze, he was making grabby hands, reaching out for him. _

 

_ ‘We’re off now! And didn’t I make myself clear before? Don’t call us Mom and Dad! What if people find out? Don’t be such a burden.’ His parents walk away, leaving Baekhyun alone at the door. He looks at the family of three with tears in his eyes,  _

 

_ ‘No! Don’t go! Mom! Dad! Don’t take Minjun with you too!’ He pleads, but the door closes on him, and his world turns black. _

 

‘Minjun!’

 

Baekhyun shouts from his sleep and jumps up from the bed. His eyes were wet and he was panting. He looks around his surroundings, panicking at the sight of white walls, machines and the very nauseating scent of disinfectant. Where was he? And more importantly, where is Minjun? His anxiety levels rise, a bad reminder of his never ending nightmare. The chairwoman walks in, seeing Baekhyun in a chaotic distress, obviously disturbed by something. Baekhyun walks up to the chairwoman, panic evident in his eyes,

 

‘Mrs Park! Where is Minjun? What happened?’

 

The chairwoman goes up to Baekhyun, forcing him to sit back down using her walking cane.

‘Baekhyun-ah everything is fine, look after yourself first, the wounds are not going to heal at this rate!’ she nagged. Baekhyun sits back down, not wanting to worry the chairwoman further. The chairwoman sighs as she takes a glance at the injuries that Baekhyun sustained, and shakes her head in disappointment and guilt that her very own grandson is the person responsible for this. 

 

‘Baekhyun-ah,’ The chairwoman starts off, patting his leg, ‘I’m really sorry that this happened to you, I never expected Chanyeol to act out like that, it has never happened before with his other housekeepers. If only I-’ She speaks regretfully, having already reprimanded her grandson enough for the entire night.

 

‘Mrs Park, it’s not your fault, please don’t blame yourself. I was at fault too, I didn’t explain myself clearly to Chanyeol, I caused the misunderstanding.’ Baekhyun grabs the chairwoman’s hands, she was so nice to him, Baekhyun would never ever think of blaming her.

 

‘Baekhyun-ah, you are too nice, please don’t let my grandson off that easily. You will be staying in my mansion for the time being, until Chanyeol can sort himself out properly. Minjun will be well taken care of by Mr Kim while you’re at work.’ Baekhyun is slightly relieved at the fact that he won’t be staying at Chanyeol’s for the time being - his anger, frustration and embarrassment has not settled down yet, and he is certain that Chanyeol is not taking in this situation any better. 

 

With the mention of Minjun, Baekhyun and the Chairwoman turn to the door to see Minjun in Mr Kim’s arms. His little hands and feet swing in desperation to reach for his hyung, eyes filled with big fat tears for being away from his hyung for so long. Baekhyun and Minjun have never separated for more than a day since he took in Minjun, Mr Kim had a hard time trying to get him to sleep, perhaps the sleeping environment was way too foreign for the boy’s liking.

 

Baekhyun reaches out for Minjun, wrapping him in a tight hug. Minjun snuggles close to his hyung, letting a sigh of relief escape from his lips. It was quiet and peaceful like that for a while, Baekhyun brushing Minjun’s hair as he asks about his hyung’s boo-boos, chatting with the chairwoman and trying to get settled to the new cast on his arm. 

 

But the quiet and peaceful moment was short lived, thanks to Baekhyun’s very loud best friends. 

 

‘BAEKHYUNNN AHHH WE ARE HERE!’ The door slams open revealing a fresh faced Jongdae and a very embarrassed Minseok (he apologised to the nurses on behalf of Jongdae, claiming that he has loud voice tendencies). 

Baekhyun flinches and lets out a yelp at the sudden voice, but soon calms down as he sees his friends. On the other hand, the chairwoman did not seem very impressed, she had that usual poker face and stared at the two boys. 

 

‘I’m guessing you two had a good rest,’ The chairwoman speaks up, causing Jongdae and Minseok to turn blue. They totally forgot that she was in the room!

 

‘Y-Yes ma’am we did, thank you for taking care of Baekhyun.’ Minseok stutters out, and slaps Jongdae on the head when he forgets to bow to the chairwoman.

 

The chairwoman nods, and decides to let the friends have a small reunion, and leaves the room with Mr Kim. The moment the door is shut, Jongdae and Minseok return to hovering over Baekhyun, asking about his injuries and all that, spilling the tea and all. 

 

‘After you fainted you were sent to the hospital,’ Jongdae said with a mouth full of noodles, ‘And when the chairwoman heard about it, she immediately investigated into the situation, no wonder she is the legendary Mrs Park! She acts so quickly!’ He says with respect to the chairwoman, perhaps with so much respect that the black bean sauce he was eating almost flies everywhere.

 

Baekhyun nods as he eats, taking in all the news from before.

 

‘Chanyeol was in a bad state too, given your injuries…’ Minseok mutters.

 

Baekhyun’s eyes widened at the news, he thought that now Chanyeol would be happy and proud for bringing him suffering, but the man who was all proud and arrogant last night seemed to be taking the hardest hit. Baekhyun figures that the chairwoman might have shared with Chanyeol his past in detail. Either way, Baekhyun will not forgive him easily, whether Chanyeol knew the whole truth or not, it was not right for him to publicly humiliate him like that. Moreover, if he did not have Jongdae and Minseok with him last night, Minjun could have been harmed as well. Just imagining the possible scenario fuels him with anger, he was just fortunate that it didn’t happen.

 

Speaking of the man, a sudden knock on the door startles the three friends. A head peeps in, and Baekhyun is startled when he makes eye contact with Chanyeol. 

 

‘What do you want, dickhead!’ Jongdae charges forward, only to be pulled away by Minseok.

 

Chanyeol cowers in fear, it was so unlike him that Baekhyun chuckles humorously.

 

‘Can I talk to Baekhyun for a minute?’ 

 

‘Like hell I would let you talk to him! Are you gonna fracture his other arm too-’

 

‘Jongdae, it’s fine, it’ll just be a minute.’ Baekhyun slowly gets up from his bed, following Chanyeol out to a more private area. Minjun whines from a loss of warmth, prompting Minseok to tuck him further into the bed.

 

-

 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun now sit at the tables near the trees and flowers inside the hospital, Baekhyun rests his cast on the table and starts a staring contest with Chanyeol, the man was not saying anything!

 

‘If you have nothing to say, I’ll just go back to my room.’ Baekhyun starts to get up slowly, not wanting to strain on his gashes.

 

‘No wait!’ Chanyeol grabs his hand, and Baekhyun hisses at how roughly Chanyeol held him. Chanyeol notices Baekhyun scrunching his face, and quickly lets go. 

 

``What I’m trying to say is...I'm sorry for what happened last night, I knew I went overboard with everything, will you accept my apology? I promise that I won’t hurt you again!’

 

Baekhyun pretends to think for a while, ‘So you are apologizing for only last night?’ He questions.

 

‘Yes...what else did I do?’ Chanyeol asks innocently, truly oblivious to his other wrongdoings.

 

Waking me up in the middle of the night. Making me cook for a hundred people in the time span of three hours. Stupid punishments that kept me hungry for the whole night. Making a mess in your room. Listening to you make out with other girls. And the list goes on. 

 

Baekhyun wanted to roll his eyes and scoffs, he knew he should have slapped him harder last night. But with his still burning fever and one handicapped hand, he knew he would just hurt himself in the process. However he remembers the chairwoman looking so upset speaking about the incident, perhaps the least he could do was forgive her grandson just this once.

 

‘Hmm, forget that I asked, but fine, just this time I’ll let you off,’ Baekhyun says half-heartedly. Though he has forgiven Chanyeol on the surface, he still holds a grudge against him, for the memory of yesterday was indeed terrifying, he doesn’t think that he can trust him anymore.

 

‘Oh that’s great! Then shall we be friends?’ Chanyeol asks.

 

‘Okay.’ 

 

No harm, right?

Baekhyun returns to school a week later, he changes his backpack for a sling bag due to his cast, and he applies some foundation on his skin to cover up the wounds. When he enters the University, it seemed as if time had stopped and everyone was staring at him. He figures that they have heard about the party, because when he walks, he hears comments. 

 

_ That’s the gold digger. _

 

_ Heard he’s living with the Chairwoman, he must be enjoying all the luxury goods huh. _

 

_ Why isn’t he expelled? _

 

These people were horrible, did they not know that he has a very bright pair of ears that can hear too? He walks faster, trying to look for Jongdae and Minseok. Once he sees them, he rushes to them and they walk to class together.

 

Baekhyun enters his first lecture and today the professor was returning their assignment on Victorian fashion history. As he was sitting in the last row with Jongdae and Minseok, it takes a while for his paper to come. But when even his friends have gotten their paper back, he wonders why his is taking so long.

 

A stack of papers finally come to him, and while he was happy that he got a high grade and a ‘Good Job’ from his professor, he was also disappointed to see his cover page filled with vulgar scribbles.

 

GOLD DIGGERRR

 

CHANYEOL HATES YOU

 

BURN IN HELL

 

He looks up to see Seo Hyun and her friends giggling away, noticing Baekhyun’s reaction. He quickly tears away and crumples the cover page, not wanting Jongdae and Minseok to worry.

 

_ I promise that I won’t hurt you again! _

 

Baekhyun remembers Chanyeol’s promise, but now he realises that he was a fool. Chanyeol has done more damage than that night alone, it has created a school life of despair and pain for him. Chanyeol might know the truth now, but it doesn’t mean that the rest of the school knows too, and he is not willing to get his sob story out there. Baekhyun tries to brush the thought off, focusing on the lesson review.

 

-

‘Hey guys, I’ll be going to the restroom real quick, I’ll meet you guys at the food hall.’ Baekhyun tells Jongdae and Minseok before heading to the cubicles.

 

After relieving himself, Baekhyun walks out and washes his hands, oblivious to the other people in the room.

 

‘Byun Baekhyun, long time no see.’

 

Baekhyun turns around, and flinched when he recognizes him as Chanyeol’s best friend from the party. He wants to walk away, but is grabbed roughly.

 

‘Such a peasant, having to sneak your way into this prestigious University. I bet Chanyeol is disgusted with your behaviour.’ He speaks, looking down at Baekhyun. Baekhyun holds his fist in a tight grip, it is all not true.

 

‘Know your place,you lowlife.’ He ignores the cast on Baekhyun’s  arm and drops him down to the ground and leaves for the door.

 

Baekhyun stays on the ground for a while, until he boils with anger.

 

Chanyeol. Chanyeol. Chanyeol. This was all Chanyeol’s fault.

 

‘Park fucking Chanyeol, I’m going to find him,’ He gets up and walks straight for the cafeteria.

 

Baekhyun stomps to the cafeteria, eyes scanning for a tall boy with his hair up, he ignores the waves coming from Jongdae and Minseok, and proceeds to walk up to Chanyeol. Baekhyun arrives at Chanyeol’s table, with the man’s back facing him. His friends start to notice, and Seo Hyun gave him a dirty glance. 

 

Chanyeol finally turns around when his friends start to nudge him, claiming that a very angry midget was here to see him. He’s faced with a large and nasty slap to the face, and he quickly grabs his cheek from the blow. The perpetrator? Byun Baekhyun, and he was ready to go for another slap.

 

‘Stupid Park Chanyeol! I hate you so much! I won’t trust you anymore, you broke your promise. Don’t ever come near me again!’ Baekhyun swears, causing Chanyeol much confusion. Did he miss something from their last meeting? Chanyeol sees Baekhyun scolding him through his tears, and he realises something must have happened in school.

 

‘Baekhyun-ah, wait!’ He yells, but Baekhyun has already ran out from the area, Jongdae and Minseok running after him. 

 

‘What’s wrong with him?’ Chanyeol questions loudly.

‘Didn’t you hear? Many are labelling him as a gold digger now, your plan was a success, Chanyeol-ah!’ Seo Hyun congratulates, unaware that Chanyeol was starting to get angrier. Nobody knew that Chanyeol had learnt about Baekhyun’s true background. He bets that if they knew, they wouldn’t be sitting here laughing either.

 

‘Yeah man, and I even gave that pathetic scammer a piece of my mind. Pushed him to the ground and told him that he belongs there, ah-ha!’ His friend adds, and everyone at the table giggles.

 

That was the final stroke for Chanyeol, now he realises that he had done more damage than he expected, and Baekhyun alone had to suffer the consequences of his own foolish actions. Chanyeol grabs his friend by the collar, eyes burning red.

 

‘What did you say!’ Chanyeol snarls, catching the attention of other students.

 

‘Erm...that he’s a lowlife?’

 

‘Shame on you!’ Chanyeol spits, his friends gasp, shocked at how infuriated Chanyeol was. Dropping the man to the floor, he runs out to look for Baekhyun. Gosh, he had made too many mistakes. Baekhyun is seriously too nice for forgiving him so easily that day. He deserves that red mark on his cheek.

 

While he was running he notices Jongdae and Minseok searching for Baekhyun, but they seemed kind of lost. 

 

‘Hey, have you guys seen Baekhyun?’

 

‘National Park, but he told us to leave him alone for a bit.’

 

Chanyeol doesn’t even listen to the second part of the statement, and just makes a dash for the nearby park. Jongdae and Minseok shake their heads, Chanyeol was so stubborn.

 

Chanyeol reaches the park and finally spots a silhouette which matches that of Baekhyun. He sighs in relief when he notices Baekhyun just standing there, facing the little fishes inside the river. As he walks towards him, he unconsciously wraps his arms around the smaller’s waist, shocking both Baekhyun and himself. Baekhyun smells like fresh strawberries in the winter, and if it Baekhyun was not angry at him, he might have fallen even deeper into the scent. He shakes his thoughts away, and awkwardly proceeds to stand next to the other.

 

Baekhyun was about to scream for help until he realises it was Park Chanyeol. What was he doing here? They stand next to each other for a while, until Chanyeol realises that Baekhyun was holding a crumpled piece of paper. He quickly snatches it before Baekhyun could react, and observes the vulgar piece of paper. It was the cover page of his assignment, it must have been important to him.

 

‘Baekhyun-ah, I’m sorry-.’

 

‘ _ Park Chanyeol, let’s not cross paths again. All you do is cause trouble. _ ’

  
  
  
  
  



	15. Missing you

Maybe because Chanyeol has been spoilt by his loved ones his entire life, he doesn’t take Baekhyun seriously. Chanyeol argues with his parents, his friends, and the outcome has always been in his favour - they give in, say that it’s their own fault, leaving Chanyeol guilt free.

 

But now it has been two weeks, and Byun Baekhyun is still ignoring him, treats him like he doesn’t exist in school. Chanyeol is beyond frustrated, nobody has resisted him for that long before. Every moment spent during breaks was trying to get the smaller’s attention, but even if Baekhyun sees him, he just pretends that nothing has happened.

 

Stage one: denial.

 

‘Grandma, can you believe that Baekhyun is ignoring me in school? I can’t believe he just brushed me off like that! I thought I already apologized!’ Chanyeol conveys his feelings of frustration to the chairwoman. Mrs Park sits in her big chair and sips her tea, it was pretty amusing to see her grandson this livid and confused. Because she acknowledges that nobody has made him this stressed out before, not even his own parents.

 

‘Just give him time, Chanyeol.’ She encourages, as Chanyeol tries to calm down with his iced Americano.

 

‘I’m going to think real hard about this, I won’t let Baekhyun treat me like I’m invisible! Thanks, Grandma. I’ll update you when I find out what’s wrong!’ Chanyeol sprints out of the mansion, causing the chairwoman to chuckle. When Chanyeol was truly immersed in something, he doesn’t waste his time. And perhaps for the first time ever, Chanyeol is finally reflecting on his own actions and trying to make things right. The chairwoman can’t help but smile, that the spoilt and whiny grandson she once knew is changing for the better, thanks to a certain Baekhyun.

 

Baekhyun on the other hand is taking this pretty well. Once he drifted away from Chanyeol, Chanyeol’s group of friends have also started to pay less attention to him, and he has been able to enjoy university life slightly better. He slowly expanded his social circle, and made two new friends Junmyeon and Yixing after Minseok invited them to have lunch together. It was the first time in a very long time that he felt satisfied, he enjoyed feeling like he belonged; chatting with his friends, taking the bus home together, the occasional outings. It was the little things that made him happy.

 

‘...Minjun! Junnie! I’m back!’ Baekhyun calls out for his brother as he opens the main door, he has just returned from working at Chenel, thanks to Jongdae who helped him get a recommendation to work there.

 

‘Hyungggggggg!’ Minjun runs out, multiple pieces of paper in his small hands. Mr Kim follows from behind, with his usual poker face.

 

‘What’s all this Minjun?’ Baekhyun kneels, trying to be on the same level as Minjun. He looks at the papers and sees colorful scribbles, though he can’t really make out the words.

 

‘Minjun was learning to write your name, Baekhyun-sshi. There are 80 more pieces of papers in your room with his other attempts.’ Mr Kim responds. Baekhyun’s eyes widened at the number, and looked at Minjun who was smiling and trying to climb onto him. Minjun’s love for his older brother was truly obvious, and perhaps a little alarming - because most toddlers would prefer to write their own name first, but Minjun decided to write his hyung’s name. Eighty times.

 

‘Minjun wrote yeollie’s name too!’ Minjun points at one corner of the page, which is supposed to mean ‘yeol’ but it looked more like a stick figure. Baekhyun doesn’t know how to react because Minjun was addressing the elephant in the room, which was Chanyeol. Though Baekhyun was happy with how things currently are, a part of his mind can’t help but think about Chanyeol.

 

‘Wow, Minjun! You are so smart!’ Baekhyun compliments, trying to change the topic.

 

‘When will we see yeollie again? He pwromised to give me a pwiggy back ride!’ Minjun asks, eyes full of innocence and curiosity. Baekhyun was so glad that Minjun didn’t see what unfolded that night, for Minjun would definitely be traumatised.

 

‘Erm..yeollie is... currently on a trip! Do you remember when the chairwoman went on one? Yeollie is doing the same!’ Baekhyun lies, hoping that this would suffice while Minjun was still young and unsuspicious.

 

‘What is a trip? Where do people go?’ Minjun asks further, curious about how the world works.

 

Ah, that’s right. The two siblings have never been on a trip before. The most they have been to was the Children’s Grand Park in Seoul, and that was to celebrate Minjun’s first birthday. Baekhyun worked hard to save up money that day for the tickets and to buy a nice cake. It was a memorable experience for the siblings indeed, but Baekhyun doubts that Minjun remembers it.

 

‘People take the airplane and they will be in the sky for a few hours! And when they wake up, they will be in a different place! And some people will take the train, they transport people too!’ Baekhyun makes the sound of the airplane, causing Minjun to giggle.

 

‘Uwaaaa! Minjun wants to go on a trip too!’

 

Minjun shouts excitedly, running around the main hall, pretending to be an airplane. Baekhyun laughs at his brother’s antics, he was way too cute at this age. But his smile is slightly bittersweet when he thinks about how impossible a trip would be; tickets, accommodation, food - it was just too expensive given their current situation, even when the chairwoman has been a great help to them.

 

‘Soon, baby. Soon.’ Baekhyun ruffles Minjun’s hair, grabbing him in a tight hug. For now, an empty promise would do.

 

-

 

Chanyeol groans when he sees the mess in his room, since his grandmother refused to hire him a new housekeeper, his house has been in a never ending cycle of messiness. Beer bottles, empty pizza boxes - Park Chanyeol was not tidy at all.

 

‘Aish, if only Baekhyun was here.’ He mutters unintentionally, imagining how Baekhyun would rush out and clear up everything, making sure that the house is clean at all times.

 

Chanyeol starts picking up the boxes, and it takes him forever with the amount of trash piling up. He can’t help but think, is this what Baekhyun goes through everyday? Because of him? Even Chanyeol himself, being extremely fit and full of stamina, found tidying his living room to be extremely tiring. There’s now another layer of guilt.

 

Stage two: Anger

 

Chanyeol notices yet another hurdle. The second floor. His socks, clothes, accessories are piled up like a small mountain. It seemed as if his house was an obstacle course, and he didn’t know what to do - he has never washed his own clothes before!

 

How could he let this happen, how did Baekhyun endure his untidy behavior? He was angry at himself, and slightly embarrassed too. Baekhyun had to do all the never-ending housekeeping, endure Chanyeol’s immature actions, take care of his little brother and complete his assignments at the same time. Did Baekhyun even have time to relax?

 

Little by little, the truth is, Chanyeol is starting to miss Baekhyun. And it was beginning to overwhelm him very much.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!! Thanks for reading Waiting in the clouds! Since this is a chaptered fic updates will be slower xD but I have another fic which has been completed (Definition of Perfect) and do check it out if you haven’t! Once again thanks for supporting my stories, I’ll try to reply to all the comments <333


	16. Gifts

Baekhyun was starting to get very fed up with Chanyeol. This has been going on for weeks.

 

The tall and lanky student follows him around the campus whenever he has the chance to, begging for 5 minutes, then 3 minutes, and now even thirty seconds just to have a chance to speak to Baekhyun. Chanyeol could tell that Baekhyun was different, he doesn’t shy away anymore, is confident to speak his mind and he is true to his word that he will stay away from him. It just made his current circumstances worse - he wants to at least give a proper apology this time around, not a half-assed one that sounds forced and as ordered by his Grandmother.

 

Chanyeol is currently waiting impatiently outside Baekhyun’s lecture hall, attempting once again to speak to the smaller. The other students recognise him, and assume that he is just waiting for Seo Hyun. Chanyeol proceeds to take out a stalk of hyacinth from his backpack once he hears the packing of books and footsteps coming from the room, he takes a deep breath, hoping it would work out this time. Chanyeol’s attempt with banana milk didn’t work out very well the last time, with Baekhyun insisting that he must have added something into the drink. But after a while of googling ‘ideal apology gifts’, he found out that hyacinths in flower language means sorry, hopefully Baekhyun could tell he is being sincere.

 

People start to flood the exit, and Chanyeol scans the crowd for Baekhyun. But to his annoyance, a slim figure suddenly has her hands wrapped around his waist (despite him constantly telling her not to), and blinks up at Chanyeol under her fake lashes.

 

‘Chanyeol! Did you come all the way here just to surprise me? Omo I’m the luckiest girlfriend in the world!’ Seo Hyun says with a sickeningly sweet tone, looking over to her friends who had such envious expressions on their faces. But Chanyeol was not looking at her direction at all, he continues scanning the room.

 

‘Omg, is that flower for me! How beautiful-‘ Seo Hyun was about to comment when she was roughly pushed aside, and she gasped at how sudden it was.

 

‘Baekhyun-ah! Baekhyun-ah!’ Chanyeol waves enthusiastically once he spots the smaller in an oversized blouse, with Minseok and Jongdae alongside him. Once Baekhyun spots Chanyeol, he quickly ducks his face. Why is he here again! The other students turn around to see Baekhyun, obviously finding the situation humorous. Perhaps the only one finding this embarrassing is Seo Hyun, who quickly tried to adjust her hair after the impact and walked away with her girl friends.

 

Baekhyun was about to zoom past Chanyeol, but the taller had his quick reflexes, and quickly pulled Baekhyun over despite his attempts to brisk walk away. Jongdae and Minseok stand in an opposite corner, similarly curious as to what Chanyeol’s apology plan is today. 

 

‘Ya, Baekhyun, listen to me this time. Look I even got you these hyacinths which mean-” Chanyeol pulls out the flowers from his back, putting them directly in front of Baekhyun’s face. Baekhyun’s eyes widened, shocked as to what Chanyeol had pulled out. Chanyeol took it as a good sign, but Baekhyun quickly tossed the flowers in the air.

 

‘Who cares about what these flowers mean! Yah, I’m allergic to flowers! Do you want me to die?!’ 

 

Baekhyun cried out before quickly walking away, hoping that his nose won’t start sniffling. And wow, Chanyeol is amazed that it didn’t even take 10 seconds before he even got to get the chance to speak to Baekhyun, and to even irk his allergy on top of that. Chanyeol just set a new record for himself. Jongdae and Minseok start to follow after Baekhyun, before giggling and muttering a ‘You tried’ to Chanyeol. Chanyeol groans and picks up the flower, and he hears his best mate Sehun suddenly laughing away, appearing from his hiding spot after the whole incident.

 

‘Oh my god Chanyeol you should have seen your face! The way he threw the hyacinths I just-” Sehun laughs all over again, stomping his feet in amusement. Chanyeol just glares at his friend, waiting for him to finish laughing. 

 

‘Sehun! You were the one who helped me with this! And now you’re laughing!’ Chanyeol mutters, walking away with the hyacinth. Sehun walks alongside him, but continues giggling away at the incident. What a great Best Friend he has, what a life!

 

-

 

‘Park Chanyeol with his silly ideas again, I can’t take this anymore!’ Baekhyun blows his nose into the tissue, the allergy starting to kick in. Baekhyun pulls up his oversized sleeves, groaning as he realises his nose is still runny.

 

The four friends sit amusedly as they look at Baekhyun. On one hand they pitied him for his never ending runny nose, but it was pretty entertaining too. Chanyeol and Baekhyun have been going on like this for many weeks, they’re betting on how many weeks more before the two can be civil with one another.

 

‘Hey Baekhyun, but don’t you think Chanyeol has been putting in a lot of effort lately? Why don’t you hear him out?’ Yixing questions curiously.

 

‘Like hell I would let him speak! Did you know he once made me skip dinner? That asshole!’ Baekhyun scrunched his red nose as he spoke, aggressively trying to crumple the tissue paper in his hand. Yixing put his hands up in surrender while the others laughed.

 

‘Hey Baekhyun, anyways what should we do for your birthday? It’s next week!’ Minseok chips in, trying to change the topic.

 

‘Ohmygosh! We should rent out the top floor of Seoul tower and have a party there!’ Junmyeon cuts in, excited about the idea of a celebration. But he’s quickly cut in by the other guys who have their own ideas.

 

‘No no no, we should go on a yacht party, with a cruise dinner.’

 

‘Why would Baekhyun like that? He would very much prefer race car driving in downtown Seoul, don’t you remember how much he enjoyed that race car driving game?’

 

Baekhyun stared blankly at his friends, who were currently planning his birthday in front of him. It was as if Baekhyun was a third party, watching as they fought over who’s idea was the best. It went on and on, until Baekhyun decided that it has become an endless discussion, and getting extremely pricey.

 

‘Actually-” Baekhyun starts, four heads turn to face him, curious as to which idea he would pick.

 

‘Can we go to the petting zoo? Minjun can come along, and we can have a picnic there too!’ Baekhyun quickly opens up a webpage on his lousy phone, showing a screenshot of the petting zoo he wants to go to.

 

Jongdae pats Baekhyun on the back, ‘Baekhyun, are you sure it’s you who wants to go? I’m very sure this sounds like Minjun’s wish.’ Jongdae sighs as Baekhyun nods shyly in confirmation, can’t Baekhyun just be a little selfish for once? He thinks. Baekhyun was truly selfless, and a good brother.

 

‘Okay fine, Junmyeon, book the tickets as soon as possible. We’re going to the petting zoo!’ The group cheers, and everybody is anticipating the day to come. Lunchtime is spent deciding on what to bring and doing research about the zoo. 

From the corner of the cafeteria, a very jealous Chanyeol glares at the table as he notices how Baekhyun is smiling so happily with his friends. Chanyeol has tried, and this is probably one of the most difficult hurdles in his life! He realises that there is finally something he couldn’t buy with money, Baekhyun’s smile.

 

Out of anger Chanyeol shoves the abandoned hyacinths at Seo Hyun, who accepts it gladly. However Seo Hyun can’t help but notice that Chanyeol’s eyes were always on Baekhyun, what happened to the Chanyeol who always had his eyes on her?

 

-

 

‘Minjun! Don’t run! I still have your other shoe!’ Baekhyun shouts from across the hallway as Minjun makes a rush for the door. It was a rough morning for Baekhyun as Minjun made a dash to the door multiple times, delaying their routine of getting dressed. This is Baekhyun’s fifth attempt at putting the last shoe on, but Minjun is way too excited to even think about wearing his shoes.

 

Clad in his sheep (gifted by Yixing) onesie, the two siblings finally leave the house and embrace the chilly weather, leaving for the petting zoo nearby. Baekhyun carries Minjun on one arm, and a three-tiered lunch box in his other hand. Mr Kim made it specifically saying that it was for Baekhyun’s birthday.

 

‘Sheep! Chicken! Rabbit! Doggo!’ Minjun sang his favourite animal song as they walked. Baekhyun chipped in at a few parts, it kept them distracted from the walk ahead. 

 

‘Baekhyun! Over here!’ Baekhyun hears his friends call out his name once they have reached the entrance. Baekhyun tries to walk faster, realising that he’s the last one to arrive. Meanwhile Minjun grips onto Baekhyun tightly, suddenly shy that he’s around strangers.

 

‘Sorry guys I’m late! This little guy here was not cooperating this morning. Oh and Yixing! He’s wearing the onesie you gave him!’ Baekhyun speaks as he tries to get Minjun to face his friends. Once the toddler turns his head, the college students start to coo, they now understand why Baekhyun wouldn’t want to leave him alone at home, he’s too cute!

 

And as if on command, the moment Yixing makes eye contact with Minjun, his nose starts to bleed. Blood starts dripping from his nose, and it made him look borderline psychotic. The others start to pale as they see Yixing’s nose bleed profusely.

 

‘Sorry,’ Yixing apologises as he wipes his nose, ‘I get so excited when I see such adorable babies.’

 

And so, Baekhyun’s birthday begins.

 

They make their way to pet the animals, gasping as they see how cute the rabbits are. Minjun was particularly fascinated by the sheep, grabbing its wool while calling out the chairwoman’s name. He’s not wrong though, the fluffiness of the sheep’s wool did look similar to a certain old woman’s hair. Jongdae can’t help but to keep snapping photos, causing Baekhyun’s neck felt sore from all the twisting and turning of his head for the camera. On the other hand, Yixing could feel blood dripping from his nose once more when Jongdae does a mini photoshoot for Minjun. It could only be described with one word - adorable. The other children cried, horrified of Yixing’s bloodied nose. But despite all that, they had an enjoyable time.

 

They went from looking at deers, to feeding baby chicks and riding ponies - everybody was exhausted but Minjun was still brimming with energy. Minjun runs to their final stop - the shop.

 

‘Minjun! Hyung will buy you whatever you want! Just take your pick!’ Junmyeon comments, putting multiple items in the toddler’s hands.

 

The five plus one were now at the souvenir shop, and Minjun, short and plump, with his glimmering eyes, stared up at the shop in awe. In his 36 months of existence, he has never seen so many stuff toys before! 

 

‘Yeah! Minjun, take your pick!’ Yixing encouraged. The CEO’s Son pulled out his black card, ready to pay for whatever the cute boy wanted. His friends did likewise, pulling their prestigious cards out like they were paper. Baekhyun’s eyes widened at how much his friends were going to spoil Minjun, while he appreciated the gesture, he was not going to let Minjun become a spoilt brat! Minjun must learn about the value of money.

 

‘Wait wait wait! Hold your cards! We don’t need that many toys!’ Baekhyun halts his friends, they looked like they were ready to buy out the whole shop. 

 

‘Baekhyun, it’s your birthday, let us treat you at least. You even provided lunch!’ Minseok says, pointing to the lunchbox.

 

‘No! It’s okay, really! Don’t spend your money on me,’ Baekhyun insisted, and proceeds to bring Minjun into the store. Minjun makes grabby hands for everything, but Baekhyun reminds him to pick one item only. Minjun set his eyes on a grey wooly sheep keychain, grabbing it with his small tiny hands.

 

‘Just this one, okay?’ Minjun nods, certain that he wants this very specific souvenir.

 

-

 

‘Uwaa this is so cute. Omg this is really cute too! How much is it? 20 dollars??? Aish it’s just a small piece of ceramic!’ 

 

Contradicting his own rules, Baekhyun is distracted by all the cute gifts in the shop, he has underestimated the power of how amazing the souvenirs were going to be. Minjun holds the sheep keychain in his hands, while his brother is busy trying to pick just one item out of the many other items that he wants. Unknown to them, the four others were secretly spying on what they were looking at, while pretending to check out the other souvenirs - Baekhyun clearly wanted more than just a rabbit figurine.

 

‘We’re done!’ Baekhyun cheers as they left the store. It was a tough decision but he managed to decide on an animal pen set in the end. Cute and functional. Good choice, he thinks. Baekhyun eyes his friends, noticing that they all held a gift bag in their hands.

 

‘So what did you guys get?’

 

‘Nothing.’

 

Baekhyun tilts his head, confused.

 

‘Then what’ that bag for?’

 

‘They’re for you.’

 

‘Oh-wAIT WHAT?’ Baekhyun gapes, he doesn’t know whether he should be angry or happy. He clearly told his friends not to spend money on him!

 

Jongdae sighed and put the gift bag into Baekhyun’s hands.

 

‘This gift is for your birthday, and for being a good brother and a good friend. You deserve it, and if you won’t take it, consider it as a gift for Minjun, okay?’ Baekhyun groans at Jongdae‘ s cheesy words, but he figures they won’t take no for an answer. Baekhyun accepts the gifts with gratitude, he wants to cry when he realises that everything he received were things he was browsing when he was inside the store. What did he do to deserve such amazing friends!

 

As Minjun begins to doze off, they finally part ways to begin to go home. Yixing was a second away from pecking Minjun’s drooping cheek before he was roughly pushed aside by Junmyeon. Nobody wants to see his nose bleed for the umpteenth time that day. Baekhyun does a final wave before he begins to walk out of the park, he sighs, realising that fun days really do pass by quickly.

 

While walking back to the mansion with a sleeping Minjun cuddled around his neck, Baekhyun suddenly feels an unexpected wet sensation on his face. Baekhyun looks up and notices the rain drops that are slowly becoming heavier. Baekhyun’s eyes widened when he ruffled his backpack and realises he did not bring an umbrella with him, he curses at how careless he is. The forecast clearly said it wouldn’t rain today! Baekhyun still had about fifteen minutes of walking to do, and he felt bad to disturb his friends too, who had taken their time off to spend the day with him. Not wanting Minjun or himself to fall sick, he has no choice but to wait under the bus shelter for the rain to stop. 

 

The rain pours and pours, showing no sign of stopping at all. Big fat raindrops hitting the ground like hailstones. Baekhyun sighs as a Minjun starts to get cranky, he tries to hold Minjun on his left side inside and gently rubs his back, shushing the toddler back into dreamland. The minutes continue to go by and Baekhyun starts to become more weary, his bag was heavy, and so was Minjun. He was probably lifting fifteen kilograms worth of weights. Baekhyun wants to sleep so bad, his energy begins to drain, and all he wanted to do was to just let go of his bags and doze off like the peaceful sleeping toddler clinging onto him.

 

Just as his legs were about to give out, a Mercedes Benz G65 suddenly parks itself under the bus stop. Baekhyun finds the car familiar, he definitely has washed this car before, and it’s owner even more familiar.

 

‘Byun, get in.’

 

‘C-Chanyeol?’

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I was busy trying to get my driver’s license and ended up failing the driving exam so I was kinda upset for a few days hahaha if anyone has any tips for lane changing do let me know! I’ll be eternally grateful lol.  
> Hope you liked this chapter and more is on it’s way!


	17. Something different

The car ride falls into an uncomfortable silence. 

 

After Baekhyun unwillingly dashed into Chanyeol’s car to avoid the rain, the two simply sat in the car, not knowing what to say. Chanyeol grips tightly onto his steering wheel, there was so much that he wanted to say, but why can’t he say anything? Baekhyun was not helping either - everytime he tried to make eye contact with the smaller, he simply looked away or acted busy checking on the sleeping toddler in his arms.

 

The short ride which felt like forever finally came to an end, with Chanyeol parking his car in his grandmother’s garage. Acting like a gentleman, Chanyeol runs to the other side to open Baekhyun’s door and to hold his multiple gift bags from earlier. Baekhyun rolls his eyes at Chanyeol’s efforts, finding it amusing from the asshole Chanyeol he knew before.

 

‘Thanks, Chanyeol. But I can take it from here.’ Baekhyun comments before heading towards the entrance of the house, but he didn’t expect Chanyeol to follow behind him.

 

‘Ah, actually, grandmother invited me over for dinner tonight.’ Chanyeol replies, smiling softly while scratching his head. Baekhyun’s face reddens in embarrassment, of course Chanyeol was not here for him, how could he forget that he was staying in Chanyeol’s grandmother’s house! Perhaps he was too used to Chanyeol only pestering him in school.

 

‘Oh, have fun then.’ Baekhyun mutters and walks into the house, with Minjun shifting in his arms, signalling that he was starting to wake up.

 

Baekhyun walks past the dining hall, and there was a moment when his face washed blank with confusion, his brain tried to process what he’s seeing. His muscles froze at where he was standing until a small and shy smile started to creep onto his face. Decorations have been put up at the dining table, colorful balloons that screamed ‘Happy birthday’ floated beautifully and colourful cups and plates have been used instead of the usual metal bowls and plates that the chairwoman prefers.

 

Minjun who was slowly trying to blink open his eyes similarly gasped once he saw the amount of colour in the room - it was truly amazing even for a toddler to witness this, and he might have thought it was his own birthday too!

 

‘Chanyeol, Baekhyun, I didn’t expect you guys to come back together. Come here and let’s start dinner.’ The Chairwoman suddenly appears, with her usual monotone expression. Though she looked strict and proper on the outside, she definitely had a heart of gold on the inside. Knowing Baekhyun never had a proper birthday celebration before, she brought it onto herself to give him a celebration he deserves, for the hard work and effort he has put in to raising himself and Minjun.

 

Baekhyun immediately recognizes the dishes on the table. A large array of traditional korean dishes are placed before him - a nice and hearty seaweed soup, tender and juicy beef ribs, the chairwoman’s homemade kimchi and most importantly the saucy and flavourful jajangmyeon that he loves. They were all dishes symbolic of a good birthday, and Baekhyun could not be any more grateful for the chairwoman’s hospitality and kindness. For once, he feels like he is truly feeling the warmth that a home should have.

 

_ ‘Mom! Can I get a birthday cake this year? I aced my school test!’ 9 year old Baekhyun begs his mother, who was not paying attention to him at all. _

 

_ ‘That’s great sweetie, we’ll think about it alright?’ Baekhyun’s mother checks her appearance before leaving the house, leaving Baekhyun slightly hopeful yet worried that his parents might forget. _

 

_ - _

 

_ May 6th came quickly, and young Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel excited for his birthday - his parents promised they would come back earlier to eat dinner with him, and hopefully with cake too. And since Baekhyun was an independent kid with his parents often working late , he had the skills to cook his own birthday dinner - seaweed egg soup, meat and rice. It was simple, but to him it held much significance. _

 

_ A few teachers in school came up to him to wish him a good birthday, but he couldn’t help but feel disappointed when his friends and classmates forgot. Baekhyun has never forgotten his friends’ birthdays, making the effort to draw them a card and give them something that his pathetic allowance could afford - so why was the favor not returned? _

 

_ Baekhyun shakes that thought away, assuring himself that there was one more surprise left back home; he reaches home after school and starts cooking, and once everything has been placed on the table, he waits. And waits. And waits.  _

 

_ It’s now nearing 10pm and Baekhyun is trying to blink back his tears. He’s hungry, yet holding onto a small false hope that his parents could be back anytime soon. But ultimately he gives in to his growling stomach and gobbles up the food he had cooked. _

 

_ Tears run down his cheeks as he eats on his tiny stool. And the now 10 year old Baekhyun wonders why he is so worked up over a small thing like his birthday - it’s not like he’s celebrated his birthday before, but perhaps the envy that grew from seeing his classmates’ grand celebrations and the constant empty promises has finally broken him. Baekhyun could feel his salty tears run down his face as he chokes on a sob, he was glad that nobody was watching him eat for he was only beginning to understand this cruel world. _

 

_ Seaweed soup has never tasted so bitter. _

 

_ When he wakes up the next morning, the house reeked of alcohol, and his hungover parents are sleeping on the couch. _

 

And so since then little Baekhyun has never looked forward to his birthday anymore. But when Minjun arrived, Baekhyun did not want his brother to experience the same things he did. Baekhyun made sure that Minjun’s milestones were recognized, even if it were through the means of a tiny cupcake with a lighted candle.

 

‘Baekhyun-ah, why are you so quiet? Is the food not to your liking?’ The chairwoman asked, noticing Baekhyun’s blank face while drinking his soup. Baekhyun quickly pushes away his thoughts, realising that he had not talked much throughout the dinner.

 

‘No, Mrs Park. The food is really good, actually. I’m just a little tired from this morning.’ Baekhyun gives a shy smile and continues eating.

 

‘That’s good to hear. Anyways, happy birthday Baekhyun-ah, study hard and always be in good health!’ The chairwoman wishes Baekhyun, pulling out a small gift box and hands it over to him, which he receives gratefully with his two hands. Baekhyun couldn’t understand why the chairwoman even considered giving him a gift, she had gifted him with way too many things!

 

‘Grandma, why don’t I ever get a gift from you-AHH that hurts!’ Chanyeol complained before getting his ear pulled playfully by his grandma.

 

‘Your parents give you so many credit cards to buy what you want, and you still want more?’ The chairwoman nags, pulling harder at her grandson’s ear. Baekhyun giggled as he watched their playful interaction. This is how he feels family should be - sitting together at the table and eating happily together. 

 

Just then, Mr Kim brings in a three tiered strawberry cake, causing Minjun and Baekhyun’s eyes to twinkle with delight. They have never eaten such a gigantic cake before.

 

‘Uwaaa! Minjun, it’s strawberry cake!’ Baekhyun says excitedly, observing the beautifully frosted cake. Minjun grunts in agreement, his small hand reaching out for some cream. Chanyeol couldn’t hide his smile as he saw how adorable the siblings were, seems like they both have a thing for strawberries. The two siblings had an innocence that was truly endearing.

 

‘Baekhyun, make a wish!’ Chanyeol exclaims, hoping that Baekhyun wouldn’t shrug him off this time. 

 

Baekhyun looks at him with bright eyes, before turning his attention back to the cake. 

 

‘Eung! I will!’ 

 

Baekhyun closes his eyes, and makes a long wish before blowing out the candles.

 

The rest of the birthday celebration goes by quickly, faster than Baekhyun would’ve wanted it to end, because isn’t this what he had wanted all along? Call him childish, but now if he were given the option to celebrate his birthday everyday, he would say yes. May 6th suddenly seems so magical, it was crazy to think that on this day many years ago he was crying and eating alone at home.

 

‘I’m heading to bed now, have a good night.’ The chairwoman announces after a while, it was now nearing eleven, and even Minjun has passed out on the living room couch.

 

‘Have a good rest Mrs Park, thank you for today!’ Baekhyun bows to the chairwoman. It’s now just him and Chanyeol in the living room, an awkward silence starts to take flight.

 

‘Hey, Baekhyun, can I talk to you for a minute?’ Chanyeol suddenly breaks the silence, causing Baekhyun to stare in his direction.

 

‘Hmm, fine. Since the chairwoman said that today’s celebration was your idea anyways.’ Baekhyun comments, and he wants to laugh when he sees Chanyeol’s cheeks heating up. It was obviously supposed to be a secret between the chairwoman and chanyeol, but the old woman couldn’t help but let Baekhyun know. Obviously, Baekhyun was pleasantly surprised.

 

`Urgh, She was not supposed to tell you that,’ Chanyeol groans, scratching the back of his neck.

 

‘But anyways,’ 

 

Chanyeol straightens up in his seat, slightly nervous and setting a serious tone, ‘I just wanted to give you a proper apology after much reflection in the past few weeks and I-uh am not very good at apologizing but I just wanted to let you know that I’m erm really sorry about how I treated you,’ Chanyeol mumbles as he observes Baekhyun’s gaze, and continues.

 

‘And I-uh was pretty fucking stupid to make you do ridiculous things and I have also told my friends to stop pestering you and I hope that you can forgive me for all the stupid things I did and be my friend again because it was pretty fucking stupid and I was stupid-’ 

 

‘You’re rambling, Chanyeol.’ Baekhyun giggles at Chanyeol’s self loathing soliloquy. Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile in return, Baekhyun’s laugh was way too angelic.

 

‘But fine, I’ll forgive you, and it’s for sure this time.’ Baekhyun replies. Though Baekhyun turned down most of Chanyeol’s efforts in school, his friends made him realize that Chanyeol was indeed trying to seek his forgiveness. And after much thought, he figures there’s no point in staying angry forever. Moreover, most of his injuries have healed, so why not give it a shot? Chanyeol seems genuine this time around anyways.

 

Chanyeol’s eyes widened, it almost seemed unreal after weeks of rejection from the smaller. This is probably one of those rare occurrences whereby Chanyeol felt true bliss - maybe because everything used to be so easy to get, and he felt like his efforts finally paid off.

 

‘Baekhyun-ah, thanks! I promise I won’t let you down!’ Chanyeol grins, clinging onto Baekhyun. Chanyeol doesn’t know what has gotten into him, but clinging onto Baekhyun’s shirt makes him happy. With a clingy Chanyeol on one side and a clingy Minjun drooling at the hem of Baekhyun’s shirt, Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel like a human pillow.

 

‘Yah, get off of me!’

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Here's the latest update :) I just came back from camp and it made me really tired! I'm entering University soon so we did a bunch of icebreakers to know everybody, and finally now that I'm home I can update this fic :D Hope you guys enjoy!!!


	18. Girl Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is inspired by Baekhee in EXO-CBX's 'The One' MV :D

“Baekhyun-ah! Baekhyun-ah!” Chanyeol exclaims excitedly as he runs over to see him at the cafeteria. After Baekhyun had forgiven Chanyeol, the two decided to be official friends. Baekhyun thought they would just occasionally say hi to each other on campus, maybe chat a little here and there. But no, Park Chanyeol just proved himself to be a big softie.

 

“Here it comes,” Baekhyun sighed as he is embraced in a bone-crushing hug, Chanyeol’s scent was all over him. In the beginning, Baekhyun was shocked, he felt as if his eyes could pop out of their sockets from the sudden gesture of friendship. But now, he had grown used to it, and even Jongdae and Minseok learnt to stifle their laughter.

 

“Hey, Baekhyun! How are you!” Chanyeol greets Baekhyun enthusiastically, his smile genuine and sincere. Baekhyun laughs, it has been a month since the birthday incident, and Chanyeol is still clingy as ever.

 

“I’m good, we were just talking about the upcoming university festival.” Baekhyun replies, looking at the leaflets in his hand.

 

“Baekhyun is going to crossdress!” Jongdae suddenly exclaims, causing Baekhyun to turn a bright shade of red - this was so embarrassing. 

 

The festival cafe is probably the most popular booth at the University’s festival every year - some of the previous students have dressed up as sailor moon, in onesies and more. This year, the student organizers decided to use high school uniforms, and claimed that there were not enough girls stationed at the festival cafe booth. 

 

Jongdae being the good best friend he is, volunteers Baekhyun for the role.

 

“W-what?” Chanyeol’s eyes widened, shocked at what he just heard. Byun Baekhyun, in a girl’s uniform?

 

“I told them that it was a bad idea,” Baekhyun whined, but he had no say, especially when Jongdae was the one who gave the idea to the student organizers. Baekhyun had a slim and chic figure, he would definitely fit in a woman’s dress! Was what he said, and they bought it.

 

“I was almost voted to crossdress instead, thanks Baekhyun-ah!” Minseok chuckled as he scooped another spoon of his yoghurt parfait. Baekhyun pouted at the teasing, he was honestly looking forward to the University festival, but maybe not now.

 

-

 

*Two weeks later*

 

“Baekhyun, here’s your uniform, get changed and meet us later to get your hair and makeup done. See ya!” The chief student organizer, Yoo jung, tossed the uniform at Baekhyun, who looked like he could pass out from the nerves. Baekhyun had two weeks of sleepless nights, scared of what others would think, yet excited to try out a new image. Minjun also caught up on his hyung’s nervousness, and being the good boy he is, he gave his favourite elephant plushie to his hyung, because he claims that it makes him feel calm.

 

Baekhyun grabs the uniform, and he cringes when he sees the white fabric with the blue stripes. Thanks so much, Jongdae. However, it has left Baekhyun with no choice, he might as well experiment with this and try to enjoy the experience overall. With a sigh, Baekhyun starts to get dressed.

 

-

 

“Ohmygod, Baekhyun, you look amazing!” Yoo Jung cheers as he just had his hair and makeup done. They had put in colored contacts to make his eyes stand out, with a bit of eyeliner and blush. And to top it off, they put a brown wig on him, curling it at the ends to give it that perfect final touch. Baekhyun couldn’t help but blush once all eyes were on him, it was as if they’ve never seen a girl before. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

 

“Baekhyun! We’re here!” Jongdae shouts with his usual loud voice, Baekhyun’s eyes widened as he realised he has brought all their friends here - Minseok, Junmyeon and Yixing. Baekhyun’s pupils were shaking, his friends were going to laugh at him.

 

“Eh? Where’s Baekhyun?” The four males scanned the room, until Junmyeon made eye contact with a very familiar looking face. Junmyeon’s lips curl into a smile, and he points excitedly at the ‘female’.

 

“There he is! Baekhyun, you look great!” 

 

All four of them walk to Baekhyun’s direction, and suddenly Baekhyun feels really shy. He doesn’t know why either. Maybe it’s because of how tight the dress is.

 

Jongdae looked so so proud, like a proud mother hen. He knew Baekhyun would look good in a school uniform, there was no doubt. And now that he has seen it for himself, it was much better than he had expected, Baekhyun could even be a model at this point. 

 

“Guys, stop drooling and thank me! I did this!” Jongdae cheers as the rest crowd around Baekhyun, asking him how he got his hair done and why he looked so good both in male and female form.

 

“Yah, I’m still annoyed that you made me do this.” Baekhyun comments with a pout, playfully hitting at Jongdae’s shoulder. The others cooed, Baekhyun’s cuteness always struck a chord in their hearts.

 

“You’ll thank me later!”

 

-

The festival has just started and hundreds of people have started flowing in from the University’s main gate. Baekhyun has been stationed at the cafe along with the other female undergraduates, waiting for their first customer of the day. It was indeed awkward being the only male, while the rest of the girls chatted he could only listen. What scared him was that Seo Hyun was there too along with her girl friends, and he knows she’s always up to no good.

The glare he received the moment he walked in was already a sign.

 

But the ‘good news’ is that Baekhyun is good at his role, he memorized all the orders and didn’t get a single one wrong. And on top of that, he may or may not have accidentally made the customers fall for him.

 

“Sir, what can I get you today?” Baekhyun speaks softly, bending down to the man’s level. 

 

“U-uh I’ll get the strawberry frappe with the roll cake,” The man stuttered, he felt his heart beating so rapidly as this  _ girl _ spoke to him in the most gentle voice, and the way  _ she _ looked at him with  _ her _ bright eyes made him swoon.

 

“Excellent choice sir! The strawberry frappe is my favourite too,” Baekhyun commented, not knowing that the man is already head over heels for him. The magic of make-up. Baekhyun proceeds to collect the menus, and a few minutes later he brings back the man’s order.

 

“C-can I have your number?” The male asked, his friend nudged him teasingly on the side.

 

“Eh?” Baekhyun couldn’t help but blush, he couldn’t believe that he is being hit on, as a girl!

 

“Are you single?”

 

“N-no, I am um….taken,” Baekhyun lied, not wanting the excited looking man to get the shock of his life once he takes off this uncomfortable wig and tight uniform. Baekhyun quickly smiles at them once more before turning away. However being the clumsy person he is, Baekhyun did not notice the tall and sturdy man before him and as a result, he crashes hard against the taller’s chest.

 

“Ah! I’m really sorry-” Chanyeol quickly muttered multiple apologies, hoping that the girl he knocked into was not hurt. The student looks up at Chanyeol with his big brown eyes, and Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel captivated by the smaller’s pretty face. The way  _ her _ hair swayed elegantly, and  _ her _ fingers were so small and delicate. Chanyeol had the urge to cup  _ her  _ cheek, and give this beautiful girl a nice hug. However, something irked within Chanyeol, there was something familiar about this beauty-

 

Wait. No fucking way.

 

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol’s eyes widened, and he proceeded to blink a few times. Because no way, that Baekhyun could execute this image so perfectly, and Baekhyun’s groan was a sign that it was definitely him. Now Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel shivers down his spine. Because Baekhyun looked so beautiful, so so beautiful. He was practically perving on Baekhyun with his eyes.

 

“Chanyeol, what are you doing here?” Baekhyun asked, feeling extremely embarrassed. He has just been hit on by some random guy, and now Chanyeol decides to show up and see him in a short skirt.

 

“U-Um I’m j-just here to see Seo Hyun, but you look great!” Chanyeol complements at the beet red Baekhyun. 

 

“Very beautiful,” Chanyeol suddenly continued, making Baekhyun blush even harder. This crossdressing thing has probably gone way too far, everybody is confessing to him. 

 

Seo Hyun glared at the two from the corner of the room, she was not even interested in serving drinks anymore, her jealousy overpowered from seeing Chanyeol smiling at Baekhyun, and it’s not just that, somehow Baekhyun has been the customer’s top pick, that should’ve been her! 

 

“Wow...Baekhyun really looks so good as a girl.” Seo Hyun’s friend, Ha Eun, comments. Seo Hyun nudges her harshly, telling her to ‘think clearly before speaking’. This only made her jealousy grow, she wanted to get rid of him, now.

 

Seo Hyun asks Ha Eun to come closer, ordering her to remove the ‘pest’ so that she can be with Chanyeol. Ha Eun smirks as sneaks a blue slushie in her hand, attempting to spill it all over Baekhyun’s clothes.

 

Ha eun walks up to the two slowly, hoping she could find the right time to ‘accidentally’ bump into Baekhyun, and ultimately spilling the cool, blue contents all over him, resulting in his embarrassment and humiliation.

 

Just as Ha Eun was about to strike the cup, her eyes widened as a forceful grip suddenly latches onto her wrist, causing her to spill the slushie onto the ground. Everybody turned their heads at the scene, surprised to see Park corporations’ Park Chanyeol glaring at a female student.

 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Chanyeol snarled, pulling Baekhyun behind him. Baekhyun would have pushed him away from how cheesy this is turning out to be, but he too was shocked at what had just happened. 

 

“I-I...I just..” Ha Eun was shaking in fear, she had never spoken to Park Chanyeol before, and now she has finally seen it for herself - Chanyeol was indeed scary when he was angry.

 

“Get lost before I say something I regret,” Chanyeol ordered, causing Ha Eun to run away, tears brimming in her eyes. Chanyeol knew better than to erupt in his furious state, not when everyone’s watching, and not when he’s trying to protect his friend. Chanyeol quickly turns back to Baekhyun, hands on his shoulders.

 

“Baekhyun, are you okay? Did she get any of that drink on you?” Chanyeol scans the smaller’s clothes, a small blush creeping onto his cheeks. Anyone looking at them right now would probably think he was a pervert.

 

“Chanyeol, I’m fine, thanks for helping me.” Baekhyun smiles, assuring Chanyeol. It was funny seeing how worried Chanyeol looked, it’s cute.

 

“Okay then be safe! I have to go back to my own event,” Chanyeol waves. In the end, he didn’t get the chance to say hi to Seo Hyun, causing the girl to whine angrily, her plan backfired after all.

 

“Ha Eun, this is all your fault!”

-

“Seo Hyun, can I speak to you for a minute?” Chanyeol walks over to her after the festival, hands clasped together.

 

“Chanyeol! I missed you! What’s up?” Seo Hyun batted her lashes, going closer to her boyfriend. She tried to wrap her arms around the waist, but the gesture is quickly rejected by the taller.

 

“Look, I know that you were behind the incident this afternoon.” Chanyeol suddenly says on a serious note, alarming Seo Hyun and causing her smile to sink.

 

“And you were the one who misinformed me about Baekhyun back then, straining our friendship,” Chanyeol glared, Seo Hyun walked backwards, back hitting against the wall.

 

“H-hey Chanyeol I was just trying to protect you, Baekhyun is not one of us!” Seo Hyun reasoned, trying to pry her hands onto Chanyeol’s. Chanyeol was having none of it, and shook her hand away.

 

“I should’ve broken up with you already, but I was nice enough to give you a second chance,” Chanyeol retorts, Seo Hyun shakes her head feverishly. It couldn’t end like this. She goes on her knees, grabbing Chanyeol’s hands close.

 

“C-Chanyeol! I can still change! It doesn’t have to be this way,” Seo Hyun cries, how embarrassing it would be for her to get dumped by the University’s most popular guy.

 

“Enough! You’re not in the right mind, your lack of trust and inherent jealousy is always the problem, even when I’m with friends, you’re jealous. And how could you even think about harming Baekhyun? He’s innocent! We’re done.” Chanyeol snarls, and leaves quickly, leaving Seo Hyun to breathe heavily, her feet stomping the ground like a toddler. The torment and frustration was clear in her eyes.

 

Welp, now that Seo Hyun is out of the picture, Chanyeol is single again. And somehow, he is glad, because right now, he couldn’t get the image of Baekhyun in a tight girls’ school uniform  out of his mind.

  
  



	19. Reality

_ Chanyeol blinks, he’s confused...where is he? Chanyeol looks around, it was a pretty fancy bedroom, and it seems like there’s someone waiting for him on the bed. Chanyeol walks closer, having had his curiosity piqued. _

 

_ “Who are you?” Chanyeol questions, the female’s back was facing him. _

 

_ Slowly, the girl turned around, hair swaying perfectly around her neck. Chanyeol’s eyes widened in shock, it was Baekhyun, in that same school girl’s uniform from this morning. _

 

_ “Oppa!” Baekhyun crawled over to Chanyeol’s direction, causing Chanyeol to blush furiously.  _

 

_ “Oppa~ Why are you ignoring me, don’t you want to feel what’s under this dress?” Baekhyun pouted, grabbing Chanyeol’s hand to feel his milky white thighs. Chanyeol gasped at the sudden gesture of affection, somehow, he couldn’t get his hands off of Baekhyun’s thighs. _

 

_ “B-Baekhyun? What are you doing?” _

 

_ “Yeollie...why are you acting so inexperienced, don’t you want to leave kisses down my neck?” Baekhyun pouts, throwing a playful glare at the taller. _

 

_ Chanyeol, with a shaky hand, cups Baekhyun’s face, leaning in to peck his soft, pink lips. Baekhyun’s eyes were closed, as he pulled Chanyeol’s hand closer to his chest. Chanyeol left trails of kisses on Baekhyun’s neck, soft with a hint of cooln- _

 

Chanyeol shot up from bed, gasping from the graphic sex dream he just had. He couldn’t believe he fell into temptation for Baekhyun, and even left some fucking kisses on his milky white neck- Oh god, he’s doing it again. Chanyeol knocked his head with his hands, trying to forget this crazy dream. 

 

But what shocked Chanyeol the most, was that he woke up being so turned on. 

 

Chanyeol removed his blanket, and low and behold, his penis bulged, pumping up with energy. So even if Chanyeol convinced himself that he was in no way attracted to Baekhyun, scientific reasoning was saying otherwise. Everybody knows that an erection increases blood flow to the penis. And the source of erection? Baekhyun in a dress. Calling him oppa. Chanyeol was doomed.

 

_ It’s just because Baekhyun looks too much like a girl, it had to be. _ Chanyeol reasoned, he couldn’t imagine himself falling for the male, and this is happening right after he had broken up with Seo Hyun! Things are happening too quickly.

 

_ I’m not in love with Baekhyun. It’s just admiration. Purely admiration. _

 

-

 

Chanyeol heads for the college, trying to forget his sexual awakening this morning by immersing himself in lectures and tutorials. But everytime he saw someone with long, brown hair like Baekhyun’s that day, his mind immediately brings him into that state of euphoria, the image that Baekhyun donned that day. Despite trying his best, there were multiple attempts at shaking his head to get rid of these thoughts.

 

Chanyeol was so absorbed into his thoughts, that he didn’t realise that Baekhyun was walking up to him.

 

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun called for him once more, now tugging at his shirt.

 

“AH!” Chanyeol screamed accidentally, body banging against the wall in shock. He was so busy thinking about Baekhyun, that he didn’t realise the real Baekhyun was standing in front of him. How strange.

 

“Hey...what’s wrong, are you sick?” Baekhyun casually places his hand over Chanyeol’s forehead, causing Chanyeol to blush furiously. Baekhyun’s soft and delicate hand held against his forehead, Chanyeol could smell the strawberries and cream soap emitting off Baekhyun’s han-

 

“W-wait! Don’t touch me!” Chanyeol yells abruptly, causing Baekhyun to quickly slide his hand off of Chanyeol’s head. Baekhyun gives Chanyeol a confused expression, what was up with him today?

 

“Uh..you’re acting weird.” Baekhyun comments, crossing his arms as Chanyeol tries to straighten out his clothes.

 

“Ahaha...it’s been a rough morning for me.” Chanyeol scratches his hair, as Baekhyun gives him a teasing look.

 

“Watching porn again? Seriously Chanyeol?” 

 

“Nope, absolutely not.” Chanyeol says with slight hesitation.  _ You wouldn’t want to know Baekhyun, it’s something worse than porn...way worse. _

 

“So...what’s up?” Chanyeol changes the topic quickly, reminding Baekhyun of why he intended to approach Chanyeol in the first place.

 

“Ah! That’s right, I was gonna ask if I can move in to your place again.”

 

Chanyeol’s eyes widened, “Come again?”

 

“I said, can I move back into your apartment? I’ve been staying at the chairwoman’s place for quite a while now, and I feel bad because part of the contract was to work at your place. The chairwoman said I should give you a heads up if I ever want to go back.” Baekhyun explains, fiddling with the string attached to his hoodie. Chanyeol couldn’t help but think how those fingers were working hard at twirling those strings.

 

“Oh, um, sure! You can move back in anytime, I missed seeing Minjun too.” Chanyeol nods, and soon enough Baekhyun gives the most beautiful grin Chanyeol has ever seen. Somewhere in his mind he was really looking forward to waking up to see Baekhyun in his apartment, though this time he’s gonna make things right. Chanyeol was not going to treat Baekhyun like a housemaid, but rather like a roommate who helped with the chores.

 

“Thanks Chanyeol! I’m sure Minjun is looking forward to seeing you again.”

 

Yup, this is gonna be exciting.

 

-

 

Or not.

 

“Chanyeol! How much detergent did you put into the washing machine? There is foam everywhere!” Baekhyun blindingly allowed Chanyeol to do the laundry this weekend, after he claimed that he had some experience with the washing machine. Chanyeol gasped as he saw the overflow of bubbles in the laundry room, he may or may not have added a bit too much.

 

“I don’t know...a few cups I think.” Chanyeol muttered like a child who realized he did something wrong.

 

“A few cups? Are you crazy?! Minjun, don’t come this way!” Baekhyun warns the toddler, but Minjun was so excited seeing the amount of bubbles that just kept growing, his chubby little hands couldn’t resist, and not long after, Minjun is already diving into the swarm of bubbles, throwing and kicking them happily. Baekhyun groans, he not only has to clear out the laundry room, but he now had to clean up a very soapy Minjun as well.

 

Chanyeol chuckles at the toddler who is currently messing around with the detergent foam, but is quickly shot down with a glare from the toddler’s older sibling. Chanyeol zips his mouth, standing at the door, not really knowing what to do.

 

“Chanyeol, Minjun, out of this room, now!”

 

-

 

“Oh god, I’m so tired…” Baekhyun whines as he climbs onto the couch, resting his body fully onto the comfortable sofa. After an exhausting session scrubbing every nook and cranny of the washing machine, disposing the foam, and giving Minjun a good shower, Baekhyun feels like he could fall asleep at any moment, now having changed into comfy sweats and a hooded jacket. 

 

Chanyeol and Minjun, who were previously bonding over an episode of pororo, made space for Baekhyun in the middle. Minjun spared no second to snuggle closer to his hyung, clinging onto him like a koala, while Chanyeol tried to move closer to Baekhyun, while trying to seem like he isn’t doing so. Baekhyun ends up being squished between the two, but because he was sleepy and ready to doze off he honestly couldn’t be bothered. 

 

Minjun dozed off first, followed by Baekhyun. Chanyeol took a quick glance at the two siblings, it was sweet, seeing how Minjun’s fingers were held tightly onto Baekhyun’s face as he slept. The house suddenly doesn’t feel so empty with the two around, the sound of the TV, the toys scattered on the floor and food stocked up in the kitchen was a definite sign that there was some sort of liveliness in the house.

 

Chanyeol’s parents, who are constantly working overseas, never really had the chance to have a normal day with their son like this. Despite indulging in parties and celebrations, sometimes Chanyeol craved for just a normal day, like the ones he has read about in children’s books when he was younger. Though this wasn’t exactly his family, it sure did feel like one. Baekhyun is probably going to prepare dinner in about an hour or two, and Minjun would probably go back to scribbling Baekhyun’s name on paper again.

 

But for now, Chanyeol is just going to lean back against the sofa like the other two, planning to take a quick nap. Chanyeol adjusts himself to face Baekhyun, studying the male’s features. He wonders, would he still have such feelings for Baekhyun, even as a male? Baekhyun is kind, brave and compassionate, and he was probably one of the few people who could see through his image. Chanyeol might be afraid to admit it, but he might actually be in love with Baekhyun.

 

Chanyeol couldn’t help but put his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulder, wrapping the smaller closer to him. Baekhyun shifts a little, but ultimately (and successfully) leans closer to Chanyeol, his head laying on Chanyeol’s chest. Chanyeol grins, a proud smile seeping onto his face, he just hoped Baekhyun wouldn’t hear the loud thumps of his heart beating.

 

“Oh shit.” Chanyeol groaned as he looked down, noticing the bulge in his pants. It’s no longer a wet dream, it’s reality.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	20. Irresistible Desire

“Hey, Chanyeol, what’s up with you lately? You seem distracted,” Sehun waves his hands over Chanyeol’s field of vision, but Chanyeol doesn’t notice it and just brushes Sehun’s hands away, going back to looking at his target. 

 

Sehun turns around, and chuckles once he sees where Chanyeol was staring at. Byun Baekhyun. Sehun knew something was fishy on the day of the college festival, but now he had added all the pieces together, there has to be only one explanation for this.

 

“You’re in love with Byun Baekhyun, aren’t you?” Sehun drops the truth bomb, and that finally gets Chanyeol’s attention. Sehun’s statement also draws the attention of their other friends sitting at the table, Chanyeol immediately hits Sehun on the head, embarrassed by his sudden statement.

 

“Oh Sehun, it’s not like that! And can you not say these things out loud?!” Chanyeol complains as Sehun just shrugs.

 

“If it’s not true, why did you have to tell Sehun to shut up?” Kris joined in, and soon he was thrown with many more questions.

 

“What did he do that made your heart flutter?”

 

“Did you guys kiss?”

“Enough!” Chanyeol silenced the table, while staring at Baekhyun’s direction worriedly. His friends were so loud and obvious, Baekhyun would soon realize something was up.

 

“It’s just that we have become close friends recently, and with him moving back into my apartment we’ve been talking more and I realised that maybe...he’s not so bad after all?” Chanyeol slowly explained, fiddling with his fingers. The group of friends listened intently, acting like they were really understanding about Chanyeol’s situation. 

 

But Chanyeol was too naive, as they became a boisterous loud bunch once again.

 

“Kris, I’ll bet my maserati that Chanyeol is actually in love with Baekhyun.” Sehun says proudly, showing off his car keys to his friend.

 

Money is thrown here and there, the four friends shoving money into each other’s pockets, fighting over who is right and who is wrong.

 

“Did you see how Chanyeol played with his fingers? That’s how he responds when he is in love with someone! I’ve seen it before.”

 

“No! Didn’t you see Chanyeol’s eyes? It’s clear that he’s unsure about his feelings! They could just be friends!”

 

Chanyeol placed a hand over his head, his friends are giving him a headache already with their debates. But he can’t argue with them, ever since he broke up with Seo Hyun, people are debating on who will be his next girlfriend. There were rumors that it was a popular girl from the science faculty, and another about a girl from his group project, so it must be surprising that now Baekhyun has become one of the candidates as well.

 

“Chanyeol, there will be a University camp held next week, you should make some memories with Baekhyun since it will be an overnight camp. I’ll speak with the organizers to put you two in the same group!” Sehun says excitedly, dashing out of the cafeteria to go talk to the camp organizers. Chanyeol was about to stop Sehun, but Sehun runs really, really fast, and Chanyeol realizes that there’s no going back now. Not when Sehun is admandmant about winning the bet, and somewhere in his heart it may be to help Chanyeol as a friend.

 

“Hey, but if you really date Baekhyun I think it would be cool. He seems like a chill guy, just misunderstood from the beginning.” Kris comments as he slurps his ramen, nodding his head in approval.

 

“Yeah! I heard he has a really adorable little brother too, I want to meet him!”

 

Chanyeol chuckles at his friend’s comments, it gives him confidence that he might really want to date Baekhyun now. Chanyeol turns his head, looking at Baekhyun chatting happily with his classmates as he eats with his classmates. Chanyeol smiles, imagining eating with Baekhyun, only the two of them, in a romantic setting. It’s not like they don’t eat together at home, but it’s just awkward to have that when Minjun is around. 

 

Yes, he might just want that. Chanyeol really, really wants that.

-

“Welcome to the annual University camp! As part of the college’s festival period we have a multi-faculty initiative so every group will have students from every faculty!” The student head cheered, trying to get the camp participants excited. 

 

Baekhyun cheered, this was the kind of University experience he had been waiting for. A three day two night camp filled with fun and making new friends, but what surprised him the most, was that Chanyeol ended up being in the same group as him. What a coincidence! But being away for camp for the next three days meant that he had to leave Minjun to the chairwoman and secretary Kim. Minjun was visibly upset when Baekhyun said goodbye to him at the door, secretary Kim having to hold back the toddler who was on the verge of tears. But Baekhyun brushed that thought away, Minjun will have to learn to be away from his hyung someday.

 

“Hey, Chanyeol, aren’t you excited?” Baekhyun nudged the bored student next to him. Chanyeol seemed disinterested in the briefing, he wanted to go straight to the activities and spend time with Baekhyun.

 

“Oh, um, yeah. Just feeling a little sleepy right now.”

-

“Alright guys! So the first game we will be playing is two-legged tie! Pick a partner and we will be competing with an opposing team!”

 

Chanyeol quickly searched around for Baekhyun, his face immediately darkening when he sees another guy already tying his leg together with Baekhyun’s for the race. Fuck, he was too late. Chanyeol clenched his fists, as he sees the guy blush while speaking too Baekhyun.

 

_ Fuck off! He’s mine! _ Chanyeol shot daggers in his direction, ignoring the numerous girls coming up to him to be his partner. Chanyeol ends up partnering some random girl from the group, sighing as the race is about to start.

 

“Ready, set, go!” 

 

Chanyeol and the girl do the two-legged race slowly. One is busy blushing because she’s hip to hip with Chanyeol, the other ...overwhelmed with jealousy that he couldn’t focus on the race. Chanyeol could feel his blood boiling as Baekhyun and the other student do the race diligently, with the guy putting his hand on Baekhyun’s waist as they near the finishing line. Chanyeol growls, he is never ever letting Baekhyun slip away from his sight again.

-

Chanyeol’s luck arrives towards nighttime, when the two are teamed up for the Haunted House mystery segment.

 

“Chanyeol, Baekhyun, you guys are up next!”

 

Chanyeol stands up, excited to finally be teamed up with Baekhyun for something. Chanyeol stands up confidently, and Baekhyun goes up to stand next to him.

 

“Ready, set, go!”

 

“Come on Baek, let’s go!” Chanyeol walks into the haunted house casually, Baekhyun following up behind him.

 

“It’s so dark in here…” Baekhyun whines, feeling a little scared. He tells himself that this is just a haunted house designed by university students, there’s nothing to be scared about-

 

“AHHH!” Baekhyun jumps, a student dressed as a ghost popped up, screaming at his face. Baekhyun immediately runs for Chanyeol, who acted as if he didn’t just see a ghost.

 

“Chanyeol-ah, I’m scared!” Baekhyun shouts, hands unconsciously going to Chanyeol’s waist. Chanyeol blushes at their contact, thank god the room was dark so that he could hide the redness of his cheeks.

 

“Baekhyun, these are just props. Don’t worry I’ll protect you.” Chanyeol walks in front of Baekhyun, but Baekhyun still felt afraid, he places his hand wrapped around Chanyeol’s, at least there is something he can hold onto now.

 

Chanyeol continues walking through the haunted house, trying to hide his smile. Byun Baekhyun is holding his fucking hand, crying out for him because he’s afraid of ghosts. It isn’t exactly the most desirable scenario in Chanyeol’s mind, but he’ll gladly accept it.

 

“AHH! DON’T COME NEAR ME!” Baekhyun shouts once again, when another student pops out from a box, dressed as an evil clown. Baekhyun grabs Chanyeol out of fear, placing his head against Chanyeol’s chest as he shivers. 

 

Chanyeol stiffens at the sudden contact, but his hand immediately goes to Baekhyun’s back, rubbing it soothingly.

 

“Come on Baekhyun, we’re close to the exit!” Chanyeol holds Baekhyun’s hand, the smaller hesitating a little but he follows Chanyeol anyways. 

 

A few more jump scares down the maze, Baekhyun immediately rushes over to Chanyeol for comfort. Chanyeol doesn’t judge him at all, he anticipates it whenever Baekhyun screams and hid his face in his chest. Pretty cute, he must admit. Who knew that Baekhyun actually had fears himself, even though he has always acted so courageously in front of Minjun?

 

“Baekhyun, open your eyes. We’re out now.” Chanyeol says softly, laughing a little when he sees Baekhyun slowly open his tightly squeezed eyes.

 

“Oh, phew. That was scary.” Baekhyun blushes, now being fully aware of what he had done. Baekhyun remembers continuously seeking Chanyeol for protection, hiding his face against Chanyeol’s broad chest. Though he was a screaming mess, Baekhyun felt safe and there was a calamity as he hugged Chanyeol tightly throughout the haunted house maze. Baekhyun liked it.

 

Baekhyun’s face began to redden. What is he feeling? He doesn’t really know.

-

“That concludes the end of Day one! Everyone, you will be sleeping in rooms for 2. So the pairings are ….” 

 

Chanyeol was placing his hands in a prayer gesture now. Please be Baekhyun, please be Baekhyun.

 

“Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun.”

 

Chanyeol shot up from where he was squatting, almost doing a fist pump until he realizes he shouldn’t look too excited. Scratching his back instead, he grabs his bags and walks along with Baekhyun to their assigned room. 

 

“Hehehe...doesn’t this feel like being at your house, except that Minjun is not around?” Baekhyun comments as they make themselves comfortable in their shared room. It wasn’t big like Chanyeol’s, but at least there’s a comfortable and big mattress on the floor that would easily fit the both of them.

 

“Let’s go to bed early, the hiking event is tomorrow morning.” Baekhyun groaned, pulling out his clean clothes and heading for the shower. Once Baekhyun is not in his sight, Chanyeol does the fistpump that he had been holding in. Yes, Yes, Yes! He will be sleeping in the same room as Baekhyun tonight, he must thank Sehun once the camp is over.

-

The two of them go to sleep that night, bodies feeling sore from the day’s activities, but hearts full of love and excitement. Chanyeol notices that Baekhyun had fallen asleep first, and he turns his head to face Baekhyun as the smaller made puppy noises in his sleep.

 

As Chanyeol drifts off, he can’t help but think of Baekhyun’s cheerful and adorable face. Everything’s just perfect, and Chanyeol can’t wait to make things more perfect when he truly decides to pursue Baekhyun.

-

Baekhyun wakes up the next morning, feeling energized and lovely since he had a good sleep. Baekhyun’s brain is still a little fuzzy, as he tries to remember where he is. 

 

Baekhyun feels a person’s arms wrapped around his waist, while his head was snuggling against a very hard pillow…

 

But wait. That’s not a pillow. That’s…

 

Baekhyun forces his eyes to open a little more, and his eyes widen in surprise once he realises that all along he had been lying on Chanyeol’s chest. Baekhyun blushed a deep red at their close proximity, they were looking exactly like how a married couple would look when they slept. Baekhyun tries to shift away discreetly, but Chanyeol’s grip on him is tight, Chanyeol's hands wrapped tightly around his waist. This was not what Baekhyun imagined would happen, he clearly remembered that they slept at least a metre apart last night.

 

Baekhyun gave up and stayed in the same position, with his head still resting on Chanyeol’s chest. Baekhyun inhaled the scent, feeling peaceful at the comforting smell of the fresh covers which complements Chanyeol’s fruity scent very well.

 

“Baekhyun-ah….” Chanyeol moans in his sleep, causing the serenity to end abruptly, with Baekhyun flushing  even more. Chanyeol was moaning his name in his sleep...what on earth? What is happening?

 

It doesn’t get any better as Baekhyun hears someone playing with their door lock, and Sehun’s head pops in at the door.

 

“Chanyeol, wake up- OHMYGOD WHAT IS HAPPENING” Sehun screams, but quickly covers his mouth so as to not disturb the sleeping Chanyeol. From Sehun’s point of view it looked like Chanyeol and Baekhyun were hugging while asleep, hands intertwined like a couple. 

 

“It’s not what it looks like-” Baekhyun tried to say but Sehun quickly snapped a cheeky photo and ran away like a happy child. He was totally going to show this to Chanyeol once he’s awake.

 

_ I liked the feeling of being with Chanyeol, but oh god, this is embarrassing _ ! Baekhyun plopped his head back onto the pillow, hoping that Sehun wouldn’t tell anyone. If not, then he really wished this was a dream!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	21. Thank You

It was awkward.

 

Baekhyun was seated next to Chanyeol as their group sat in a row in the cafeteria. Sitting across them was another group, and more specifically, Sehun was sitting opposite the two, smiling happily.

 

“Soooo...How good of a kisser is Chanyeol?”

 

Baekhyun spat out his water, alarming the people around him. Chanyeol’s eyes widened at Sehun’s question, and he too was as equally shocked as Baekhyun. Baekhyun coughed a few times, the abruptness of Sehun’s question really got to him, and Chanyeol being the nice ‘friend’ he is, patted his back gently, causing Baekhyun to turn red even more.

 

“Sehun, don’t joke around like that. Baekhyunnie here is choking because of you.” Chanyeol scolded, but Sehun was squealing all over again, confusing the two.

 

“Did you just call Baekhyun, Baekhyunnie?” Sehun laughed once more, pointing at his best friend’s face that was starting to flush, ears turning red with embarrassment. Baekhyun started to turn red as well, now that Sehun had brought it up, Chanyeol did start giving him a pet name - Baekhyunnie. And when he thinks about what happened this morning, the way they hugged as they slept- Baekhyun covers his face with his hands, feeling hot about the entire situation. 

 

Sehun stopped teasing the two once he notices that they’re at their limit, both turning red at his little cheeky remarks, and it’s not even 9am yet! If only they had the guts to confess right now, how much easier life would become if they just told each other how they really felt. Sehun thinks, plus, it would be great to win the bet.

 

“I-I’m going to the toilet, I need to pee.” Baekhyun stands up, feeling flushed as his thoughts become crazier and intense. He stands up, and runs to the washroom to hide inside. Chanyeol stares at Baekhyun as he leaves, he seemed a little odd today.

 

“Missing your boyfriend already?” Sehun teases once more. Chanyeol punches his friend’s arm, whining at Sehun’s incessant teasing.

 

“Sehun stopppp, you’re making both of us uncomfortable.”

 

“Oh, really? Are you sure it’s not your fault?” Sehun opens his photo album, showing the photo he took from this morning. 

 

What. The. Fuck.

 

Chanyeol feels beyond scandalized, chills run down his spine as he sees a picture of him and Baekhyun, sleeping like a couple, with Baekhyun’s head on his chest while his own arms were wrapped tightly around Baekhyun’s waist.

 

“Aww looks like Baekhyun had his fairytale ending. Look at his old bully now hugging him tightly and not wanting to let go, from housemaid to now boyfriend?” Sehun continues to chuckle, noticing Chanyeol continuing to pale.

 

“Oh My God. What did I just do.” Well, Chanyeol was pale for two reasons. One, why wasn’t he awake? What an amazing opportunity, it was something he could only imagine in his dreams, so why was he stuck in dreamland, when this time around, it was reality? Two, how was he going to face Baekhyun after this? From the picture it looks like Baekhyun was half awake, meaning he kinda knew what was going on. Chanyeol removed his cap and pulled at his hair, what a mess.

 

“Don’t worry bro, your sidekick Sehun will support you all the way.” Sehun comforts, earning a glare from Chanyeol, and quickly shuts up once he sees Baekhyun returning. The moment Chanyeol made eye contact with Baekhyun, he immediately blushed and turned away. Baekhyun was about to question him, but luckily for Chanyeol, the day’s itinerary just happened to be announced.

 

“Hi everyone! Hope everyone had a good rest, today we have a very special day lined up for you guys…”

 

-

 The afternoon consisted of a hiking trail which was an hour’s drive away from central seoul. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were once again put in the same team, thanks to Sehun.

 

The goal was for every team to reach the top of the mountain, with the fastest team winning attractive prizes from the camp sponsors. The University, being extremely rich with wealthy sponsors, it meant that when the prizes were attractive, they were crazy attractive. Past year participants have won things like the latest game consoles, branded bags and even cars. That’s how excited everyone is for the hike. However, to Chanyeol, it’s nothing new, he has all those already. He’s just gonna have fun on this hike and get to know Baekhyun better.

 

Huffing and panting throughout the hike, Chanyeol and Baekhyun make small talk along the way, trying to forget whatever happened this morning and going back to how they are usually. Chanyeol chuckles a lot throughout the hike, realising that Baekhyun is actually pretty humorous, the smaller was full of aegyo and cheekiness.

 

Nearing the late afternoon, at around 4pm, they decided to take a break at a more secluded area, sitting down on the ground as they stared at the sun beginning to set.

 

“I’m sure some people are already nearing the top, but it’s nice like this, isn’t it?” Baekhyun comments, wrapping himself with his jacket. As the sun will soon begin to set, the weather seems to be even colder.

 

“Yeah,” Chanyeol breathed out, “And also, this camp turned out to be better than I expected, I was kinda dreading this hike to be honest.” Chanyeol jokes, causing Baekhyun to chuckle.

 

“Same for me, I was thinking if I should waste my time going for these kind of camps, I’m honestly grateful that your grandmother forced me to come and even paid for my registration fees...the price is no joke.” Baekhyun huffs, and Chanyeol is silently thanking his grandmother in his head, he reminded himself to go visit her once camp is over.

 

“Then that’s great, Baekhyun.”

 

“But sometimes, I can’t help but feel guilty, like Minjun and I are just freeloaders in your house,” Baekhyun sighs as he stares at the sun.

 

“And when I’m enjoying and having fun without Minjun, I feel like I’m such a terrible brother. It made me remember how tough we had it in the beginning, I even had to skip meals just to get Minjun’s baby formula, those things cost so much money. And Minjun would just cry and cry.” Baekhyun couldn’t control his tears now, as he thinks back about his past experiences, they were painful memories, and all Baekhyun wished for is that he and Minjun wouldn’t have to suffer like that ever again.

 

Chanyeol was a little shocked at Baekhyun’s sudden pouring out of emotions, his little sniffles don’t go unnoticed by the taller, and slowly Chanyeol moves his hand up and down Baekhyun’s back, hoping to calm him down.

 

“Hahah...sorry about this, maybe it’s the mountains...they’re making me feel sad.” Baekhyun tries to diffuse the situation as he notices Chanyeol scrunching his eyebrows worriedly at him.

 

“Baekhyun, I don’t think you’re a bad brother at all. You were just a pre-teen when you were told to take care of him, I actually think that you’re really impressive.” 

 

“R-Really?”

 

“Yeah! And don’t think of yourself as a freeloader at all, you are doing the housekeeping in the house, maintaining the grades that grandma told you to for the scholarship, and you are even taking up a part time job at Chenel! You are enough, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol tried to encourage, he just wanted to get that sad expression off of Baekhyun’s face.

 

“I’m worried that one day, my parents will come back and only take Minjun. I can’t bear to separate from him, he’s the only family I have left.” Baekhyun sobbed into his hands, he really didn’t know why out of all people, he had poured out his bottled up anxieties to Chanyeol. But well, life is always full of surprises.

 

Chanyeol immediately thinks back about what his grandmother told him a couple months ago. It broke his heart hearing that Baekhyun had to sacrifice so much in his childhood, and to think that he added fuel to the fire by tormenting Baekhyun caused his stomach to churn with disgust. Baekhyun deserved to be loved, he had such a pure and genuine heart.

 

“Grandma will protect you, I will protect you. Nobody is taking Minjun away from you okay, and I’m sure Minjun would hate to separate from you too. Come here,” Chanyeol opens up his arms, this time, he genuinely wanted to give Baekhyun a big, warm hug, to tell him that everything will be okay.

 

Baekhyun chuckles a little, before surrendering and falling into Chanyeol’s embrace, returning his open arms with a hug around his waist. Baekhyun immediately felt comforted, and they just stayed that way while watching the sun set. Baekhyun snuggled even closer to Chanyeol, feeling a little cold from the wind blowing.

 

“Thanks, yeol.”

 

Chanyeol smiles as a returning gesture, and he doesn’t think he can ever let go now. 

 

We’re just friends, but everytime I see you, why do I smile so wide? 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter! And also, I kinda made a twitter recently, what should I do there hahah :0  
> Have a great week ahead!


	22. Maldives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyoneee, taking a break from studying for my exam to update this fic! Lots of great things happened to me recently, I went for the exploration concert (can you guess which stop? hehe), I got my driver's license and also celebrated my birthday! It's been a good month for me :D
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this update!

_Sehun couldn’t help but smile triumphantly as he notices the two snuggling together through his binoculars. The small smile that slowly crept on his face made him look a little perverted, but he swears his intentions are purely innocent. After all, Chanyeol and Baekhyun seem like they were having a good time, he must ask Chanyeol about it once camp ends._

 

“Yeol, how was camp? Is it much better than you thought it would be?” Sehun nudged Chanyeol once they were seated down at the cafeteria, the younger forcing out words from Chanyeol.

 

“Yeah, I guess you could say that. Baekhyun and I actually have lots in common,” Chanyeol smirks as he grabs a spoon of rice, these days he was acting like a lovesick fool, that even the simplest things like plain rice can taste so sweet to him.

 

“Aww, that’s cute.” Sehun smiles, noticing Chanyeol’s exceptionally wide grin. If Sehun remembered correctly, Chanyeol didn’t even smile this big even when he was dating Seo Hyun, he used to be so cold and even harsh towards his friends. It was nice to see this Chanyeol for a change, someone who smacks his friends when he laughs too hard and acts like a happy nut. Sehun calls this the ‘Baekhyun Effect’, and he wonders how Chanyeol would act when the two finally date. He predicts that it would be anytime soon.

 

“Oh, and I’m bringing him and Minjun to our annual family trip. Grandma’s orders.” Chanyeol adds casually, going back to eating his meal.

 

Sehun’s eyes widened, the Park’s family trip was no joke, and Sehun had begged to join them every year. This year they were planning to open a resort in the Maldives, resorts owned by Chanyeol’s parents have always listed into the Top 10 best resorts every year. The Parks have their family trip there every year as it was a way to commemorate their successful business endeavors throughout the years, celebrating the Park enterprise thriving in the economy.

 

“Oh my god, I can’t believe Baekhyun is going there before me.” Sehun says with a sulk, he has been Chanyeol’s best friend for nearly a decade, how was this fair at all?

 

“Grandma’s rules, she said he’s family now.”

 

“I’m family too!” Sehun rebutted, whining in the process.

 

-

 

“Minjun, look!” Baekhyun just came out of the building where they had their passports made, and pulls out two passports from his backpack. Minjun leaned closer to what Baekhyun was holding, eyes moving curiously as Baekhyun flipped the pages.

 

“Hyung! What’s thwese?” Minjun pointed at the passports, and soon finds a picture of himself on the first page. Minjun looked so angry in his passport photo, because Baekhyun forced him to sit still. He was too cute.

 

“It’s your passport! Remember when Chanyeollie hyung went on a trip? Now we get to go on a trip too!” Baekhyun explained, though he wasn’t sure if the toddler understood.

 

“Does that mean we can ride the aewoplane?” Minjun’s eyes twinkled with delight, the thought of being in one of his airplane figurines, he made a flying action and giggled quickly before wrapping his small hands around Baekhyun’s neck.

 

“Yes! Minjun-ah you are so clever,” Baekhyun placed a kiss on the toddler’s cheek, causing Minjun to squeal with delight.

 

“Ok, now that the passport is settled, we have to pack for the trip!” Baekhyun continued with excitement, the fact that he himself had not been on an overseas trip either before made him feel worried yet excited. Baekhyun didn’t know what to expect, but at the same time he understood what the Parks were capable of, so the trip will most likely not disappoint.

 

“Eung!”

 

-

 

“Waa…” The two siblings looked at the interior of the airplane in awe as they were ushered in by the air stewardess. It was a whole new experience to take in for the two siblings, and Chanyeol couldn’t help but laugh over how their jaw dropped whenever they saw something new. Having their passports stamped, collecting their tickets, being brought to the first class lounge, and the ways their eyes twinkled when they saw their first class seat...Baekhyun honestly couldn’t believe he was achieving one of his childhood dreams right now which was to ride on the plane, it honestly felt unreal.

 

“Baekhyun, stop staring and sit next to Chanyeol.” The chairwoman pointed at the seat next to Chanyeol, who looked pretty excited to spend the next week with him. Baekhyun quickly shook his thought away and brisk-walked over to his seat, with Minjun clinging onto him like a koala bear. An air stewardess brings in a basket of toys for Minjun to pick, and finally, Baekhyun gets the break he had yearned for. It wasn’t that Minjun as annoying or anything, but he had to admit that Minjun was indeed growing and becoming heavier, it made his body sore to have Minjun cling onto him for the entire day.

 

While Minjun is busy being entertained by the air stewardesses, who coo at how cute he is, Baekhyun properly does a quick little detour around his seat. Baekhyun opens his mouth into an O shape when he plays with his adjustable seat controls, before sinking deep into his plush and comfortable seat stacked with pillows. It felt more like a bed than a seat. The TV set and gaming console catches Baekhyun’s eye next, he looks through the screen and is amazed at the amount of entertainment that he could distract himself with for the next fourteen hours.

 

But the best of all, in his opinion, is that his suite is directly next to Chanyeol’s, meaning he could maybe take a peek at the taller. Baekhyun promises himself that he would just take a little peek, hopefully he could keep that promise by the end of the flight.

 

“Hey Baekhyun,” Chanyeol suddenly turned his head towards Baekhyun, causing Baekhyun to blush.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, it’s just still quite unfamiliar to me.” Baekhyun says, shrinking further into his seat. 

 

“You’ll get used to it, I promise. Also, just wanted to warn you about later, since it’s your first flight, I just want to get you prepared for when the airplane takes off.” Chanyeol smirks a little, wanting to play a little prank on the currently naive Baekhyun.

 

Baekhyun’s face pales a little, “W-What will happen?”

 

Chanyeol sits up straight, stretching out his muscles a little before responding casually. Chanyeol credits his acting skills for making it sound so believable. 

 

“So later, when we take off, the plane will do a loop de loop, like a roller coaster going up and down in the sky in circles. There will be a lot of pressure so just be careful, but it’s nothing serious.” 

 

Baekhyun lets out a little squeak, he was terrified of roller coasters, and he doesn’t do well with loops. Is there still time to back out? He doesn’t want to puke in the sky.

 

And so, Baekhyun trembles all the way until the plane is ready for take off, he grips onto his seat tightly and eyes the airsick bag in case anything happens. Minjun stares at his brother with a confused look while Chanyeol silently laughed, looking at the now terrified Baekhyun. 

 

_“Cabin crew to your stations, we are taking off shortly.”_

 

Baekhyun scrunches up his face, the engines start revving and the airplane starts picking up speed and dashes across the runway. As they slowly descend off the ground, Baekhyun closes his eyes, preparing for the crazy loops that Chanyeol was talking about.

 

Until, it never happens.

 

_“Passengers, you may remove your seatbelts. We are now 500 feet above the surface-”_

 

Baekhyun looked around, confused. Where were the loops that Chanyeol talked about? Baekhyun turned his head around like a little child, sticking his head out the window with lots of question marks surrounding his head. Then, he notices Chanyeol stomping his foot, laughing like a madman as he eyed Baekhyun. And that was when Baekhyun realized, he had been pranked.

 

“Chanyeollll!” Baekhyun whined, hands going to his waist as he let out his best pout. Chanyeol was still out of breath, clutching his stomach as he heaves. Baekhyun couldn’t believe that Chanyeol would pull a trick on him on the flight, he was clearly wrong. The chairwoman quickly tells Chanyeol to shut up before he finally looked at the still pouting Baekhyun.

 

“Sorry Baekhyun, but you just look so cute!” Chanyeol admitted to the boy who finally heaved a sigh of relief and slumped back into his seat. Chanyeol enjoyed teasing Baekhyun, he thought that he was so cute and no other human being could beat him to it.

 

“Hmph.” Baekhyun continued acting angry, sticking out his tongue at Chanyeol before putting on the headphones provided and turning the other direction.

Chanyeol just continued cooing, and he wondered if this was the power of the Byun genes to make such adorable children.

-

“Here is your herb crusted dry-aged angus rib eye with buttermilk battered wedges and our chef’s special garlic aioli sauce. And for the little one we have dinosaur nuggets and a side of pasta with a sou vide egg.” The air stewardess placed the dish on the table, Baekhyun stared at the food in awe with Minjun seated on his lap. After Minjun’s two hour nap into the flight, the little toddler whined and cried for his hyung, prompting Baekhyun to bring him over to his own seat.

 

Baekhyun was still trying to process what this dish was, there were so many components that went into the meal that it boggled his mind, every bite bursting with umami. Minjun couldn’t be bothered and simply dived into his food, hands grabbing onto the greasy little nuggets.

 

“Minjun, stop!” 

 

Both Chanyeol and the chairwoman couldn’t help but look curiously to their direction. Like grandmother like grandson, the two both stifled laughter at the two siblings. These trips were always purely business related, like a chore for both the grandmother and grandson. Sure, Chanyeol’s parents join in too but it was one dinner maximum.  But now that Baekhyun and Minjun were here, it brought new life to these annual trips, and for Chanyeol it doesn’t feel that much like a chore anymore. This time, he had even purchased a little guide book, he wanted to explore places with Baekhyun. Secretary Kim wouldn’t mind babysitting Minjun for a while.

 

“Mmmm~” Baekhyun moaned as he took another bite of meat, his taste buds enjoying the morsels of food going into his mouth. Chanyeol eyed the way Baekhyun swirled the meat around the plate, drenching it in that thick aioli sauce before elegantly placing it into his mouth, not forgetting to smack his lips together to savor the sauce that stuck to his lips. Chanyeol couldn’t believe he was getting jealous over a medium-well steak.

 

“Fuck,” Chanyeol whispered, watching Baekhyun eat is making him hard again. At this point, he might as well have some kind of erectile disorder with how often he’s getting turned on by the fact that Baekhyun simply just exists.

 

Go to sleep, little man, go to sleep. Chanyeol looked at his member, as if shushing it would make it go down.

 

-

 

“Uwaaa…” 

 

The ‘family’ have finally landed, and they were in the bright and glorious island of Maldives. They were waiting for the chauffeur to bring them to their hotel, but in the meantime, Baekhyun and Minjun were staring into the island with twinkling eyes.

 

The blue waters, the lovely palm trees, and the kind locals. A holiday couldn’t get any better than this.

 

The car brought them to a luxury resort, the location of where the Park resorts is to be opened in a weeks time. The resort is not open to the public yet, so it will just be the few of them occupying this enormous resort for the meantime. The moment they arrived, Baekhyun opened the door and looked up at the tall and mighty resort before him, with a big ‘PARK’ plastered over the crest of the hotel logo. Baekhyun knew that the Parks were rich, but this trip is slowly making him internalize the fact that they are not just rich, but crazy rich.

 

“Come on Baek, let’s go.” Chanyeol guides Baekhyun into the hotel, and he couldn’t help but continue to be amazed, taking in this entirely new experience. The chairwoman had requested for all of them their villas to be in the same area of the resort, so they quickly made their way to the buggy and to their accommodation. Minjun sits close to his hyung as they take in the breathtaking view of the Maldives while they sat comfortably on the buggy.

 

“Baekhyun, you’ll be sharing a villa with Chanyeol. It’s the biggest one here and I don’t trust my grandson to be alone, so here you go.” The chairwoman passed Baekhyun the keys, and the three of them were dropped off at the door to their villa.

 

Chanyeol took a glance at his grandmother, who hid a small smirk on her face. Even his grandmother was playing matchmaker too, what a supportive grandmother he has.

 

“Ah, yes Mrs Park. Thank you so much.” Baekhyun took the keys from her quickly, doing a quick bow before opening the doors to their villa. 

 

Once the card has been tapped, Baekhyun is blown away once more by the beautiful view from their room. Clean linens and freshly made beds, including Minjun’s own mini bed in another room, with a private pool the size of his old apartment and a marble tiled toilet equipped with a huge bathtub. Everything was so clean and so fresh, it was heaven on earth. Minjun immediately ran to his own bed and jumped onto it excitedly. Baekhyun followed after his brother and tickled him as he fidgeted in the bed.

 

“Hyung! Stop!” Minjun yells out in between giggles. The two siblings were having so much fun that they forgot that Chanyeol was busy bringing in the luggage, and he did feel a little left out.

 

“Hey...a little help here?” Chanyeol cleared his throat, and Baekhyun rushed over to help Chanyeol with the bags.

“Hehe...sorry…” Baekhyun gave Chanyeol a sheepish smile, too distracted with playing that he forgot to help Chanyeol.

 

-

 

The sun started to set, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were told to meet at the resort’s restaurant for dinner. After a quick nap, they made their way to the restaurant, with Minjun still asleep in Baekhyun’s arms.

 

As they went nearer, Chanyeol saw a familiar silhouette talking happily to his grandmother, clinking their glasses of wine as they talked.

 

“...What the-”

 

“Chanyeol, what’s wrong? Did we walk the wrong direction?” Baekhyun looked up to Chanyeol after shushing the toddler back to sleep, he saw Chanyeol’s eyebrows frown in confusion and looked towards the same direction.

 

“Who are they?” Baekhyun questions, walking closer and now he could get a better view. A woman dressed elegantly in black, with her hair curled perfectly and falling into the perfect places, a diamond encrusted jewellery on her neck. To her left was a man who looked to be in his late 50s, a little bit of gray hair but still looked young overall. Wearing a dark blue suit and rubbing at his slightly large ears, Baekhyun was starting to notice the similarities between that couple and Chanyeol.

 

“They’re my parents.”

  



	23. winning streak

“WHAT? Why didn’t the chairwoman tell me?” Baekhyun whines, suddenly feeling that his oversized sweater and shorts were inappropriate. 

 

“D-Don’t worry, they’re nice people.” Chanyeol tried to calm Baekhyun down.

 

“I don’t trust you! You’re stuttering!” Baekhyun huffed, stopping in his tracks.

 

“N-No! I swear they’re nice!”

 

It was true that Chanyeol’s parents were nice people. Mr and Mrs Park were not ones to discriminate those below them, and indeed, they were huge social butterflies as they loved talking to new people. The only problem that Chanyeol had with his parents was that they could be overly-nice at times, with their jokes often unfunny and resulting in an awkward atmosphere. His parents always tell people not to take their jokes too seriously, but sometimes, it’s still hard to laugh it off. Chanyeol remembers the horrors of introducing Seo Hyun to his parents back then, his parents made all sorts of stupid jokes that made Chanyeol feel so embarrassed, but luckily for him Seo Hyun was unfazed, having seen his parents often at galas and events.

 

“Chanyeol! My son!”

 

Before they could even turn away, Chanyeol’s mother comes running out to squish her son’s cheeks, not forgetting to tiptoe and place a big fat kiss on his nose. Chanyeol whines at the affection, though his hands make their way to hug his mom tightly on the waist.

 

“Chanyeol-ah! You’ve grown again! When was the last time I saw you? January? February? Mom missed you so much!”

 

Mrs Park smiles at her son, who returns the favor, and completely ignoring the two siblings next to him. It was only after she pulled away from the hug that she noticed the two boys’ presence.

 

“Who do we have here?”

 

“Mom, this is Baekhyun and this little guy is -”

 

“Chanyeol! Did I become a grandmother? Is this little guy my grandson? You knocked up this poor kid didn’t you!” Mrs Park gasped dramatically, covering her mouth with her hands as she observed the sleeping Minjun closely. Chanyeol’s eyes immediately widened at his mother’s words, oh how badly he wanted her to shut up.

 

“Urgh! Mom!” Chanyeol whined.

 

“Mrs Park...I am a boy.” Baekhyun pales, slightly intimidated by the woman. Baekhyun’s pupils were shaking at the woman who looked like the definition of ‘lady boss’, her attire fleshed out her dominance and authority, though the words that came out of her mouth was equivalent to that of a teenage high school girl.

 

“I’m just kidding, welcome to our resort Baekhyun and Minjun, I’m Chanyeol’s mother. I’ve heard so much about you two.” Mrs Park reached her hand out to shake Baekhyun’s, which Baekhyun gratefully accepted.

 

They made their way into the restaurant, and from there Baekhyun is introduced to Chanyeol’s dad as well. The old man made Baekhyun cower in fear for a bit, but as soon as Mr Park broke out into a smile, all that tension was washed away.

 

The Parks were a very lively bunch, which made dinner go by really smoothly. Apart from one or two inappropriate jokes by Chanyeol’s parents, and a little nagging from the chairwoman, Baekhyun generally enjoyed the company and the food. Baekhyun admired how Chanyeol’s parents could seem so professional when talking about their businesses, yet so lively when discussing their personal lives. No wonder they were so successful, their social skills were amazing.

 

Chanyeol notices Baekhyun trying to balance Minjun on one arm and struggling to eat with the other, the pasta was barely hanging onto his fork. Chanyeol nudges Baekhyun to pass Minjun over to him, so that Baekhyun could eat in peace. Baekhyun willingly obliged and carefully transferred the sleeping toddler into Chanyeol’s arms. It was so natural that the two college students completely forgot about the other adults staring at them.

 

“Aww, what a beautiful family of three.” 

 

Mrs Park broke the silence first, causing Baekhyun to choke on his pasta. Baekhyun immediately let go of his fork, hitting at his chest and face turning red both in pain and embarrassment. Chanyeol uses his free hand to pat Baekhyun on the back, while a waiter rushes to get Baekhyun a glass of water.

 

“Mom! I told you to stop doing that!” Chanyeol whined, face also heating up from embarrassment. Though he must admit, it would be cute to play family with Baekhyun, he could kind of imagine a future with the smaller. 

 

“Sorry son, it’s just...I’ve never imagined you holding a baby! Now I want a grandson.” Mr Park hummed, giggling away with his wife.

 

“Chanyeol is actually really good with kids, Mrs Park, he plays with Minjun all the time.” Baekhyun added, having recovered from his choking scare and giving the Parks a gentle smile

 

“Son, don’t call me Mrs Park, call me mom! ”

 

Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol’s mother with wide eyes. Did she just ask him to call her Mom? His cheeks flushed and heated up, knowing clearly that this was how people would usually call their husband’s parents. Everything was happening way too fast, Chanyeol’s parents might even ask him to marry Chanyeol at this point. Having watched many korean dramas and romance novels, he had imagined Chanyeol’s parents to be the type to ask someone like him to stay away from their son and proceed to splash a glass of water on his face. To his surprise, he got along well with them, and even had Mrs Park calling him son in their first meeting.

 

“W-What?” Baekhyun stuttered, while Chanyeol’s hand immediately went to his forehead, shaking his head in embarrassment.

 

_ This is why we only meet once every few months...Mom, Dad, you guys are so embarrassing! _

 

-

After a bit more chit chat, Baekhyun and Chanyeol decided to leave and put Minjun to bed while they tried out their private pool. Baekhyun bowed to all the elders, thanking them for their hospitality before exiting the restaurant along with Chanyeol.

 

“There’s something different about Chanyeol, isn’t there?” Mrs Park questioned as she looked at the two getting into the buggy and back into the resort.

 

“Yeah, he seems more...nice? Like a gentleman?” Mr Park replied, a big grin on his face.

 

“Yes! Back when he was dating Seo Hyun he was not like this at all!”

 

“And Baekhyun is so cute, he’s totally the kind of son-in-law that I want. I want to bring him shopping, his little pout and cheeks...gah!” Mrs Park squealed, while the chairwoman simply shook her head.

 

“Yeon Mi, enough, let the kids be.” The chairwoman nagged, though she too couldn’t help but look at the young ones fondly with a smile on her face. They all silently agreed that Baekhyun did change Chanyeol for the better, and they definitely preferred this version of him.

 

-

 

“Baek, I promise I won’t laugh.”

 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun were currently splashing around in the pool after putting Minjun to bed. Chanyeol was only wearing his swim shorts, displaying his toned muscles and abs that he had worked hard to build. 

 

On the flip side, Baekhyun wore a shirt together with his swim shorts, having paled in comparison when Chanyeol casually took off his shirt to swim. Baekhyun glared at his tummy, or nutella abs as he calls it, it never goes away. No matter how much exercise Baekhyun did, he was still skinny, only being more rounded at his hip area. In the eyes of others, Baekhyun’s skinny figure only accentuated his feminine figure, that was probably one of the reasons why he was vulnerable to teasing too.

 

“No, I don’t want to take my shirt off!” Baekhyun whined, he was not ready to be humiliated in front of Park Chanyeol, especially when he is shirtless and giving him the most charming grin.

 

“Pleaseee…” Chanyeol pleaded, and he proceeds to tug at Baekhyun’s shirt while the smaller was distracted. Baekhyun’s eyes widened in surprise as he immediately pulled his shirt back up, and proceeded to splash water at Chanyeol’s face.

 

“Yah! Park Chanyeol!”

 

Chanyeol reddened as he saw Baekhyun’s exposed milky white skin, looking so smooth like a baby’s bottom. What kind of products does he use? Chanyeol couldn’t even think straight, even after Baekhyun quickly pulled his shirt back up with his quick reflexes, that little glimpse of what is underneath his shirt continued to flash before his eyes. 

 

-

 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun moved over to the jacuzzi, having played in the pool for long enough. They lay their head on the headrest, while the water jets were bubbling away underneath, soothing their tired bodies. 

 

“Hey Baekhyun,”

 

“What, pervert?” Baekhyun still pretended to be grumpy over the incident previously, warning Chanyeol that he will report it to his grandmother as sexual harassment. Though by doing that Baekhyun might be being too much of a hypocrite, because he had pinched Chanyeol’s muscles while they were playing as well.

 

“Let’s play a game, the winner gets to make the loser do something.”

 

“I’m in. What game do you want to play, Mr Park?” Baekhyun’s ears perked up at the thought of a game, he was secretly competitive.

 

“Me and you, under the water. The last to breathe wins.”

 

“Ok!” Baekhyun removed his head from the headrest, and proceeded to face Chanyeol’s direction. Chanyeol too got into position, his heart tingling with excitement, if only Baekhyun knew, he was a pro at this game. Nobody has ever defeated him before.

 

“One, two, three, go!”

 

They both dunk their head into the water, an impressive silence for the next twenty seconds. Chanyeol was taking this challenge very easily, but another ten seconds in, Baekhyun could already feel his ears turning red, and his arms fidgeting a little in endurance. 

 

“Ah! I can’t take this anymore!” 

 

Baekhyun took a deep breath once he removed his head from the water, heaving to get air into his system. Chanyeol soon followed after, and flashes his victory grin having won the game. 

 

“Chanyeol! You cheated didn’t you? How could you stay in the water for that long?” Baekhyun complained, splashing the jacuzzi water at Chanyeol’s face, once again donning another adorable yet slightly angry pout on his face.

 

“Nope, I won fair and square. Now, come here, you owe me one.” Baekhyun shifts closer to Chanyeol, expecting a flick on his forehead since that’s the most common punishment, followed by a flick on his wrist. Baekhyun even pushed his hair away from his forehead, prepared for Chanyeol to do it.

 

“Don’t hit me too hard, or I’ll tell your grandma about this!” Baekhyun warned, not wanting his skin to be red and blotchy the next morning.

 

Chanyeol was confused for a second, before laughing as he soon realized what Baekhyun was doing. Chanyeol placed his palms on Baekhyun’s squishy cheeks, he was so, so innocent.

 

“Baekhyunnie, you are so innocent. I’m not going to do that.” Chanyeol chuckled, looking at Baekhyun with affection and lust in his eyes.

 

“Huh? Then what?” Baekhyun blinks up at the taller, momentarily puzzled. His cheeks were still between Chanyeol’s palms, and that puppy like stare from Baekhyun just made Chanyeol like him even more.

 

“This.”

 

Chanyeol cupped Baekhyun’s face and leaned in. Their lips touched, fitting like two perfect puzzle pieces. With the close proximity of their bodies, and their faces brushing against each other, Chanyeol could finally smell how sweet Baekhyun is, it was like sleeping on a strawberry field with the sun hitting down perfectly on your skin. Though there was also an aroma of fresh and warm duvets on a winter’s night, the clean cotton that reminds Chanyeol of home. Even after being drenched in pool water, Baekhyun was still able to have such a rich and sugary fragrance, and it only made Chanyeol crave for more.

 

Perhaps it’s just like in the movies, for Chanyeol feels so ignited and electrified, it just feels so right.

 

But what he didn’t account for, was how Baekhyun’s eyes widened in shock.

  
  



	24. Oh, Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chanyeol and Baekhyun kiss again, Baekhyun meets someone from his past.

Chanyeol pulls away, and chuckles when he sees Baekhyun’s stunned face. Baekhyun’s eyes grew a few sizes bigger, and he blinked a few times before processing what really happened.

 

“Y-You-!” 

 

Baekhyun pointed accusingly at Chanyeol, while his other hand went up to his lips, his fingers brushing gently at the area of contact. Chanyeol sticks out his tongue and begins to walk away, but Baekhyun grabs him quickly until they are facing each other again.

 

“How could you just kiss me and walk away?” Baekhyun crossed his arms and pouted, causing Chanyeol to smirk.

 

“Then...what do you want?”

 

“I want...more...kisses…” Baekhyun fiddled with his fingers, feet kicking around in the water as he replies shyly. Chanyeol smiles and follows the smaller’s wishes, leaning in once more to give him a nice fat kiss.

 

This time, without the shock and surprise, Baekhyun could properly enjoy it. As their lips touched, Baekhyun grabbed onto Chanyeol’s waist and jumps onto Chanyeol, clinging to him like a koala. Chanyeol flinches in surprise, but secures Baekhyun tightly in his grip, with no intention of letting go. They kiss, and kiss, and kiss till their feet turned wrinkly from the water, but their hearts so full of love.

 

-

 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol lay on their shared king sized bed to get ready for bed, Chanyeol wore his usual pyjamas while Baekhyun was wearing one of the hotel’s bathrobes. It was purely an accident that Baekhyun forgot to pack his pyjamas, but Chanyeol found Baekhyun so incredibly sexy, dressed in a sheer white thin robe with the resort logo printed on it. 

 

“Baek, come closer.” Chanyeol whispers, Baekhyun turns around and giggles when he sees Chanyeol looking at him. Usually they would sleep on the bed, but with a pillow in the middle to set their boundaries. After so much kissing, it seems a little silly and a little too late to do that.

 

“Why?”

 

“I want to hug you.” 

 

Baekhyun willingly obliged and scooted over to Chanyeol’s part of the bed, and is immediately engulfed in a bone crushing hug. Baekhyun’s head was positioned at Chanyeol’s chest, with Chanyeol’s arms wrapped protectively around Baekhyun’s hips. Baekhyun smiled at how close they were, and proceeded to snuggle further, his own arms too hugging Chanyeol’s figure.

 

“Hey, Baek.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Does this mean we are together now? Like _ together  _ together?”

 

Baekhyun pretended to think for a while. 

 

“Hmm let me think...but it seems quite unfair, I’m so perfect and you’re...”

 

“Hey! You did not just say that!” Chanyeol tackles Baekhyun, pinching his cheeks at how adorable he is. Baekhyun whines, and tells Chanyeol to let go.

 

“Okay Okay! Let’s be together!” Baekhyun pushes Chanyeol’s hands away with a giggle, grabbing on to his now sore cheeks. Chanyeol had some really strong fingers and it really did hurt a little, though that was not enough to keep Baekhyun’s smile at bay. He can now call Chanyeol his boyfriend, and his only.

 

-

 

“Baek! How was your trip?” Jongdae placed his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulder, wanting to hear some juicy gossip from him. Baekhyun blushed the moment Jongdae asked him about it, lips curving into a cheeky smile.

 

“It was fun…” Baekhyun mumbled, his cheeks started to turn a shade of deep red, tapping his foot shyly against the wooden tile.

 

“And…?” Jongdae’s eyes turned wider, leaning closer to the blushing boy.

 

“I’m...um, datingChanyeol.”

 

“I knew it!” Jongdae does a fistpump, while Minseok just sighs at his best friend being overly excited. Baekhyun too chuckled at Jongdae’s antics, shaking his head as his best friend decides to embarrass him further.

 

“Baek, congrats.” Minseok chips in, and Baekhyun shyly smiles and gives a grateful nod. Something was weird about him these days, he couldn’t stop smiling. Ever since the trip, Baekhyun has lost count of how many times he had smiled and blushed in a day. 

Sometimes when Baekhyun was busy trying to sort out all the laundry, a pair of arms would unexpectedly go to his waist, wrapping him tightly in a hug. The natural response that Baekhyun would always give was to squeal, then turn around to cup Chanyeol’s cheeks to give him a quick peck on the lips.

 

“Oh, how’s your brother taking it? If I remember correctly, he’s obsessed with you.” Jongdae adds, and that prompts Baekhyun to let out a big huff.

 

“Minjun was so upset, I think it’s his first heartbreak. It’s also hard to tell a toddler the difference between brotherly love and romantic love.” Baekhyun chuckles, recalling the very interesting incident that happened at home.

 

The intimate and discrete actions don’t go unnoticed by Minjun, who used to be Baekhyun’s centre of attention. Slowly, Minjun notices how Mr. Tall Guy would hold his hyung’s hand under the dinner table, how they would laugh and smile together whenever they were picking him up from preschool. Minjun might just be a toddler, but these two lovesick college kids were being way too obvious without even realising it themselves. 

 

Maybe that’s why Minjun is always shooting daggers at Chanyeol during dinner time these days, the thought of Chanyeol taking away his hyung was scary, especially when he only has his hyung to depend on. 

 

_ “Minjun...that’s enough. That’s not very nice.” Baekhyun scolded, shocked that Minjun was throwing the napkin offered by Chanyeol for the third time and proceeded to glare at the taller with angry eyes. _

 

_ “No! Bad man! Meanie!”  _

 

_ Minjun yelped, fidgeting when Chanyeol attempted to put the bib around his neck. The two youngsters were confused, Minjun isn’t usually very fussy, but the toddler is putting up a tantrum today, and they both didn’t know why. _

 

_ “Minjun, hyung warned you already. You’re not allowed to call people that. I’m going to put you in your naughty chair, because you are naughty.” Baekhyun reprimanded, pulling the toddler out of his seat and into their room, he grabs Minjun’s stool and forces him to sit down. The toddler cries and squirms, but Baekhyun endures it. _

 

_ “Minjun, you have to sit here for two minutes and think about what you did. Hyung will be back, okay?”  _

 

_ Baekhyun leaves the room, and little Minjun soon bursts into tears. What did he do wrong? His Baekhyun hyung is being taken away by the big bad meanie Chanyeol, he had been a good boy and read his books in hopes of getting his hyung’s attention, but these days, even these efforts were not recognized. So what else could little Minjun do, other than causing a scene? _

 

_ - _

_ “Two minutes are up, Minjun are you-” Baekhyun walks in, but soon notices the big fat teardrops rolling down Minjun’s chubby cheeks. Baekhyun goes closer in hurried footsteps, kneeling to face his younger brother in the eyes. _

 

_ “Minjun, what’s wrong? Do you know why hyung put you on the naughty chair?” Baekhyun wipes the tears off the toddler’s cheeks, but more tears and snot continued to flow, to the point whereby Baekhyun’s hands were beginning to become wet. Chanyeol notices the commotion as well, and stops at the door to avoid intruding. _

 

_ “M-Minjun was scared, Chanyweol take hyung away from me…” The toddler looks down in both guilt and sadness, and Baekhyun realises what’s going on. A competition for attention between Chanyeol and Minjun. _

 

_ “H-Hyung not there when I sleep, wake up...always with Chanyweol…”  _

 

_ “No no no, Minjun-ah, hyung loves you so much, you know that right?” Baekhyun panics seeing his brother look so deflated, tears were pricking his eyes at how he had failed as a brother, he had failed to notice his brother’s dejectedness. It almost seemed selfish that he had agreed to date Chanyeol, not considering where Minjun would fall under in this whole situation. _

 

_ “Minjun-ah, your hyung is right. He loves you so so so much.” Chanyeol walks in, sitting next to Baekhyun. He couldn’t help but join in, he couldn’t take it anymore, seeing Baekhyun look so broken. Baekhyun just barely hit his twenties, with so much burden on his shoulders, is it really his fault if he couldn’t be the perfect caregiver for Minjun? He literally had a parenting experience thrown at him, unexpectedly. _

 

_ “W-Wreally?” _

 

_ “Yes, your Baekhyun hyung always remembers to buy your favourite cereal, always cooks the food that you like, protects you when you are scared of cats.” Chanyeol ruffles the toddler’s head, Minjun slowly remembers all the times he had depended on his Baekhyun hyung, especially when the neighbourhood cats follow him whenever they’re walking to the bus stop. _

 

_ “Cats...scwary…” _

 

_ “Everybody needs to be protected, right? Your Baekhyun hyung protects you, but nobody protects him, so I’m going to protect him from now on. That’s what love is, Minjunnie, do you get it?” Baekhyun looks over to Chanyeol who’s trying to explain it to the toddler. The toddler scrunches up his nose, deep in thought, before nodding his head. _

 

_ “Chanyweol protect hyung…” Minjun points to Chanyeol, who gives him an affirmative nod. _

 

_ “Chanyweol hyung...Minjun is sworry! Not a meanie…” Minjun rushes forward with his small little legs, tears in his eyes as he reaches the taller for a hug. Chanyeol opens his arms readily, cooing at how cute the toddler is, despite all the mucus and tears that is definitely going to stain his shirt. _

 

_ “H-Hyung, Minjun will be a good boy, I’m sworry”  _

 

_ Baekhyun smiles as the toddler proceeds to position himself on his lap, grabbing onto Baekhyun’s shirt for forgiveness. _

 

_ “Hyung loves Minjunnie the most, I will never ever replace Minjunnie.” _

 

That’s how ‘Baekhyun time’ was added into Minjun’s daily routine, Baekhyun will spend an hour every night reading bedtime stories to the toddler, making sure that he had really fallen asleep before leaving to do other things. So far, it’s been working pretty well.

 

Jongdae chuckled, pitying Minjun that he now has to share his lovely hyung with someone else. They were now all seated in the cafeteria, just listening to each other’s stories during the holiday.

 

“Hey Baek, there’s a VVIP event at Chenel this weekend, it’s really exclusive and you have been chosen as one of the staff for the event. Don’t miss it.” 

 

“Ohmygod, really? I thought that only the senior staff could take part!” Baekhyun gasped, it was going to be such a good opportunity to meet world-class designers and elites at Chenel’s flagship store. As a fashion major, Baekhyun is definitely going to learn a lot about the industry.

 

“I’m going with my parents to the event, I’ll see how good of a staff you are, Baek!” Minseok adds, making Baekhyun red with embarrassment. His friends have never come to his workplace before, it’s making him pretty damn nervous.

 

“Thank you Jongdae, Minseok! I hope that I don’t disappoint”

 

-

 

“This is from our latest collection, a caviar-skin leather bag that comes in black and pink. It comes with a gold chain and you can use it as a shoulder bag.” Baekhyun pulls out the expensive leather bag out from it’s box, gloves reaching out to unwrap the paper to show it to the guest. 

 

“Is this limited edition?”

 

“Yes, there are only 500 pieces in Korea. It is hand stitched one-by-one to give it that unique finishing.” Baekhyun adds, earning a satisfied nod from the customer.

 

“You are a really informative young man, I’ll get it.” The lady smiles at Baekhyun, returning the bag into its box.

 

“Thank you so much ma’am, I’ll get it wrapped right away.” Baekhyun does a ninety degree bow, before grabbing some ribbons to wrap the box nicely.

 

“I’m the CEO of Harmes, if you’re interested in joining us, you’re most welcome.” The lady slips her business card, which Baekhyun accepted gratefully. The lady walks out of the store with a satisfied grin, her secretary holding on to the paper bag containing the very limited edition Chenel bag. Baekhyun smiles as he sends her off, she wasn’t the first guest to give him their business cards. He had a stack of it in his breast pocket. 

 

Jongdae runs over to his best friend, shocked at the amount of business cards that he had received.

 

“Baek! You’re our best worker here, please don’t betray me and work for them instead!” Jongdae whines in the middle of the store, Baekhyun has to shush him like a little kid to avoid disturbing the guests.

 

“Shh! They’re staring at you, do you want to embarrass your parents? Also, I took them because it would be rude to not take it.”

 

Another guest soon arrives, and Baekhyun gets ready to welcome yet another VVIP into the store.

 

“Welcome to Chenel, I will be your-”

 

The woman gasps, but quickly retains her composure, ignoring the male bowing to him.

 

“You again?” 

 

“M-Mom?”

 

“Hey, I told you not to call me that anymore!” The woman scolds him in a hushed tone.

 

“I-I’m sorry, Mrs Byun.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops this was long overdue, hope you enjoyed it!  
> Anyways, I'm looking forward to EXO's comeback, the concept seems pretty interesting.  
> Have a good day ahead!


	25. Adieu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mrs Byun confronts Baekhyun

“I-I’m sorry, Mrs Byun.”

 

The woman glared at the boy below her, despite being related by blood, she could only despise his presence. 

 

Seeing Baekhyun only reminded her of the old and difficult days when her salary was only enough to cover Baekhyun’s school fees and some utility fees, her friends were all slowly rising up the ranks, but somehow, she was still stuck in that little one room apartment shared with her husband and son. Despite how hard they’ve worked, nothing seems to be improving.

 

That was until Mrs Byun went to a fortune teller, and that’s where their lives all changed. Some for the better, some for the worse.

 

“ _ Your child, or children, have bad karma.” The fortune teller moved her hands around a glowing ball, frowning as she tried to foresee the poor woman’s future. _

 

_ “What should I do?”  _

 

_ “Move to the central part of Seoul. That is where the good karma is concentrated.” The fortune teller pulls out her map, circling around an area with the word ‘GOOD KARMA’ printed over it. _

 

_ “Will that really make me rich?”  _

 

_ “Yes, right now I sense a really bad karma, your son was born on a day of a terrible thunder, it’s terribly unlucky. But Miss, you actually have a lot of good luck. You’re being trapped by your child’s bad karma, once you fix it, you will be rewarded. Maybe you can consider buying a good luck charm for your son?”  _

 

_ But all Mrs Byun took away from the session was: my child is bad luck. _

 

_ He’s the reason for all my sadness and despair. _

 

_ Mrs Byun feels very negatively about her son. As an extremely superstitious woman, what the fortune teller had said made a lot of sense to her. She had children for the sake of having children, and despite being a mother, she could only see her son as a burden. At the same time, she felt a sense of relief, that she could finally point to something to blame. It’s not her laziness, not her poor attitude or her unwillingness to learn. It just had to be her son’s fault. _

 

_ - _

 

_ “Honey, you’re trying to say that we...move to central Seoul, and leave Baekhyun here?” Mr Byun said in a confused tone, not really understanding what his wife was saying. _

 

_ “The fortune teller drew this map for me, according to the sun and moon, our child has a lot of bad karma, he’s bad luck. If we want to be rich, we need to get out of here.” _

 

_ “How about Baekhyun? Will we come back to get him?”  _

 

_ “Of course, when our lives are settled.” _

 

Mr and Mrs Byun pack their bags, and with no final words exchanged with their son, they leave for the door, taking the earliest morning train to do some house hunting in the central area. Poor Baekhyun woke up confused at the disappearance of his parents, he had cried and sobbed, calling his parents numerous times but it always went to voicemail. He couldn’t file a missing report either, because after rushing into his parents’ room and seeing the closets empty, it was clear that they had left without him. 

 

Waiting for a day became a week, then a month, then a few years. They never came back.

 

Mr and Mrs Byun forgot about their son overtime. True to the fortune teller’s words, the couple really did hit the jackpot and started up their own company. Sales were doing extremely well in their first year and they were finally living amongst the riches like they’ve always dreamed of.

 

With their dream come true, the couple became reluctant in bringing Baekhyun back into their lives. Their lives were so perfect, there was too much to lose. The couple decided then that they would never raise children again, trying to forget every memory they shared in the past.

 

But an unexpected pregnancy arrived a few years later, Mr and Mrs Byun didn’t have the heart to abort it, but yet they didn’t want to raise it, for fear it would bring bad luck again. With a cold and heartless soul, they piled up their troubles onto their son’s already very problematic life, and once again, they never came back.

 

-

 

“T-This way to the VIP room, Mrs Byun.” Baekhyun stuttered out, leading the way to the exclusive room for the VIPs to have a first look at the brand new caviar skinned bags. Baekhyun felt like he was on the verge of crying, maybe he shouldn’t have taken this job and come face to face with the woman he used to refer to as his mother, who ironically dislikes him so much.

 

“I don’t want you as my personal shopper, find me someone else.”

 

“R-Right away.”

 

Jongdae watches worriedly from afar, his best friend is pale like a ghost, and seems to find it difficult to concentrate. But when his father introduces him to yet another big designer in the industry, he had to put his worries aside.

-

Baekhyun hoped that that was all and he could finally leave now since Mrs Byun was supposed to be his last customer of the day, but when Mrs Byun finished shopping and headed for the door, her secretary called him over and asked to have a quick chat in the mall’s VIP Lounge. 

 

Baekhyun sweated nervously, stomach churning as he followed behind the woman wearing an unnecessarily large coat and high heeled pumps. They quickly reached the top floor, and sat down at one of the corner tables.

 

Mrs Byun looked at her son looking around the lounge. She felt boastful and proud, it was probably Baekhyun’s first time here, a commoner like him wouldn’t be allowed into such a place.  This lounge is exclusively for customers who spend 100 Million Won every year at the mall.

 

“Byun Baekhyun. I thought that I already made myself clear. We’re not supposed to cross paths again, did you not understand? Are you here for my money? Do you know how disgraceful that is?”

 

“N-No, I didn’t know you were one of the VIPs, I actually have an internship with Chenel.”

 

“Internship? Are you in school or something?”

 

“Yes, Seoul Academy.”

 

“W-What? The prestigious Seoul Academy?”

 

 Now this was definitely surprising. Mrs Byun expected her son to have had quit school, he needed money to support Minjun and himself after all. Not only did Baekhyun continue school, he entered Korea’s top University as well.

 

“After all these years, you still haven’t told me why you left, why did you-”

 

“I haven’t even finished talking yet. How dare you ask such personal questions? Do you have no manners at all?”

 

“I’m sorry...” Baekhyun flinched at the woman’s sharp tongue and apologized immediately, if she could ask him questions about his personal life, why couldn’t he do the same?

 

“But fine, since I owe you this, I’ll tell you. It’s hard to say it in a nice way, but you’re bad luck, Baekhyun-ah. Ever since we moved out that year, we really hit the jackpot and are living in the most luxurious way possible. The fortune teller said that you have really bad karma, but you seem to be doing well right now. Seoul Academy isn’t easy to enter-”

 

“How could you? How could you just abandon me, and abandon Minjun, for money and a comfortable life? You created us, and you dare say that your own children are bad luck?” Baekhyun’s voice trembled as he spoke back, his eyes were becoming red and he tried really hard to not let the tears fall. 

 

All along he had hoped his parents left him on his own to do something good, that there must be a reason why they left so urgently. But turns out, a little superstition and the greed for money was all it took to turn his life upside down. If Minjun ever asks Baekhyun about where their parents are, Baekhyun doesn’t have the heart to tell him that their parents abandoned them to live a fabulous life of their own.

“Is this how you speak to your elders? How impolite-” The woman grabbed her glass of juice, having a strong urge to spill her beverage onto Baekhyun’s uniform.

 

“Baekhyun-ah! What’s going on?”

 

Both their heads turned, and Mrs Byun immediately puts her glass back down. Baekhyun immediately recognizes the lady in front of them, and he wants to hide his face in embarrassment.

 

“Mrs Park, how are you? Do you remember me? I’m from the Byun-” Mrs Byun gives an overly exaggerated smile, twirling her hair as she bowed to give Mrs Park the utmost respect. 

 

Mrs Park gave the woman a polite smile, before quickly dismissing her and facing Baekhyun. She had a very concerned look on her face, and she gently grabbed Baekhyun’s cheeks to face her. Mrs Park could tell that the boy was holding back his tears - his eyes were wet and his nose was turning a pinkish red.

 

Mrs Byun gaped like a fish at the intimacy between Mrs Park and Baekhyun, Mrs Park looked more like Baekhyun’s mother than she ever did. 

 

“M-Mrs Park, do you know Baekhyun here? Is he your personal shopper at Chenel?” Mrs Byun walked closer, curious as to what their relationship was. How did his son get so close to the madame of the Park household?

 

“Ah, Baekhyun here is my son in-law.” 

 

Mrs Park wrapped her arms around by the boy’s shoulder and patted his hair gently. Baekhyun stood there in shock, and so did Mrs Byun. Mrs Park just publicly introduced Baekhyun as her son in-law, and if even he himself was in shock, he couldn’t imagine how Mrs Byun must be feeling.

 

“Baekhyun-ah! Why didn’t you tell me…? W-When did you become one of the Parks?” Mrs Byun slowly staggered to where Baekhyun was standing and grabbed his arm with a very sly grip, and that just made him even more upset. It just proved how much of a gold digger his mother was.

 

“Baekhyun is my son’s partner. The future heir of the Park Enterprise.” 

 

Mrs Park pulls Baekhyun away from Mrs Byun’s grip, bringing Baekhyun closer to her side. Noticing Baekhyun’s discomfort and being too emotionally unstable to speak, Mrs Park chipped in to help the poor boy. Like Chanyeol mentioned to his mother before, Baekhyun really needed a lot of protection. The world was just too cruel to him. 

 

“Son, do you know who this woman is? Is she disturbing you at work?” Mrs Park asked with a gentle voice, feigning ignorance though she knew very well that Mrs Byun was Baekhyun’s mother.

 

Mrs Byun looked desperately at her son, uttering the fact that she is his mother is enough for her. 

 

“C-Come on Baekhyun-ah, introduce omma to your mother-in-law.” That fake sweetness in Mrs Byun’s voice disgusted Baekhyun, it made him want to puke and cry in one corner. With how close the woman was, Baekhyun could smell her awful smelling fragrance, a scent so pungent and overly-rich that made him sick to his stomach.

 

“Mom, I don’t know who she is. I want to leave.”

 

Baekhyun replied to Mrs Park, glancing at Mrs Byun with disdain in his eyes. Mrs Byun could only react in horror at his son disregarding her, maybe now she would know how he felt when they had abandoned him when he was just a mere teenager.

 

“Baekhyun, how could you embarrass your mom like that? Don’t be like that-”

 

“Baekhyun-ah, follow Mr Kim to the car, mom will join you later, alright?” Mrs Park cut Mrs Byun off and gave a comforting pat on the boy’s shoulder, before calling for Mr Kim to bring Baekhyun to their car. Before Baekhyun left the lounge, he took one last glance at Mrs Park, something sparked in her eyes that reminded him so much of Chanyeol, it made him feel safe.

 

-

 

“Mrs Byun, do you know what I hate the most in this world?”

 

“W-What is it, Mrs Park?” Mrs Byun trembled, still shocked at the turn of events. Her juice became diluted from sitting there for so long, but she couldn’t resist the urge to take large sips as the domineering Park madame looked at her with a disappointed look.

 

“I hate people who have such a terrible greed for wealth.” 

 

“W-What do you mean, Mrs Park, I would never! Baekhyun is such a good son, I would never do such a-” Mrs Byun faked a chuckle, fanning herself with her hand as she rambled, but Mrs Park once again cut her off, being quick witted and sharp.

 

“Enough with that crap, Byun. You have not talked to your son in years. Byun Baekhyun and Byun Minjun are part of the Park household now, the chairwoman dotes on them and my son loves them both. They have never been happier, so please don’t harass them in public, especially Baekhyun, ever again when you see them in the future.” A vulgar side of Mrs Park unconsciously popped out, a motherly instinct to protect the two innocent children.

 

“They’re my children! I deserve to see them!” Mrs Byun suddenly cried out, trying to act pitiful for some sympathy. Mrs Park rolled her eyes, wondering why sweet little Baekhyun had such a stubborn mother.

 

“You clearly lost that right when you decided to leave them behind a few years ago! You have also violated the law by doing that to both your children under the age of 16. I could easily file a lawsuit and put you and your husband in jail. Do you understand?”

 

“Y-Yes…”

 

“Good. And remember, Park Enterprises will never work with such cruel CEOs like you.”

 

With a contented smile, Mrs Park walks out of the lounge while Mrs Byun crumbles on the sofa seat, looking extremely deflated at the possibility of blackmail.

 

Horoscopes are not that accurate after all.

 

-

 

Mr Kim panics as he opens yet another packet of tissues for Baekhyun, who is currently a crying mess. The moment Baekhyun entered the car, he lets out a sob and slowly it becomes muffled cries. Both the driver and Mr Kim stared at each other, not knowing how to comfort Baekhyun.

 

“Baekhyun-sshi, I’m sure that everything will be fine. Mrs Park is good at dealing with problems.” 

 

Baekhyun wasn’t crying out of fear that the problem wouldn’t be solved, but he’s crying in pain from that encounter with his mother - that the way she had thought of him had never changed, and even had the audacity to label him as bad luck. He is just speechless that even after so many years, their shitty attitudes still remain the same, and it hurts so bad - to have your mother treat you like not just like a stranger, but as a commoner below her that did not deserve her time or respect.

 

Baekhyun cried like the pain of an open wound, he was so overwhelmed by his emotions that he broke down entirely, and didn’t even try to wipe away his tears. Mr Kim had to do the dabbing, and waited patiently for Baekhyun to calm down a little.

 

Baekhyun soon falls asleep, too tired from crying so hard.

 

Mrs Park finally arrives and sits next to Baekhyun in the car, she could see the dried up tears on his face, and the crazy amount of tissues that have been wet and soiled.

 

“How is he, Mr Kim?”

 

“Baekhyun-sshi doesn’t seem to be coping well, he cried the moment he entered the car.” 

 

Mrs Park gently brushed the hair stuck to Baekhyun’s forehead, her motherly instinct had never been so strong. Maybe because Chanyeol was always such an independent and aggressive little boy, Mrs Park didn’t really have to protect him so much.

 

“Poor boy, let him sleep. We’ll drop him off at Chanyeol’s.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Won't be updating till December because finals are coming soon! Let's all study hard and look forward to EXO's (Or X-EXO) comeback :D


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